This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

A Texas teacher has filed a lawsuit alleging she was put on leave and transferred after showing her class a photograph of her future wife.

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Stacy Bailey has twice been named teacher of the year at Charlotte Anderson elementary school in Arlington, Texas. Last August, at the start of a new school year, she put on a getting-to-know-you slideshow. It included pictures of her family and friends, including a woman Bailey described as her “future wife”.

Later in the week, according to a court filing, Bailey was told a parent had complained about the art teacher promoting a “homosexual agenda”.

According to the lawsuit, a school district official met Bailey and told her: “You can’t promote your lifestyle in the classroom.”

The suit says Bailey responded: “We plan to get married. When I have a wife, I should be able to say this is my wife without fear of harassment. When I state that, it is a fact about my life, not a political statement.”

The official is quoted as replying: “Well, right now, it kind of is.”

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The court document says Bailey was asked to resign in October but refused, and that the school district, Mansfield ISD, near Dallas, voted to renew her contract last month but plans to transfer her to a secondary school.

The federal lawsuit seeks damages and alleges Bailey was put on administrative leave, endured improper public discussion of her employment status and was considered unsuitable to teach at elementary level “all because of her sexual orientation and status as a lesbian”.

She married her fiancee, Julie Vazquez, earlier this year. “We’ve been in disbelief,” Vazquez said at a news conference. “We’ve been shocked. We’ve been hurt deeply.”

Bailey has not commented publicly. Her lawyer, Jason CN Smith, told reporters: “Stacy is filing this lawsuit and taking this action in hopes of pushing Mansfield out of the shadows of discrimination and into the sunshine of equal rights.”

Texas does not have a state law protecting LGBT employees from discrimination, though a federal ruling last month is expected to enhance protections for workers against bias based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

The district said in a statement it “categorically denies the allegations in the lawsuit”.

It added: “Mrs Bailey has been a teacher with Mansfield ISD for a decade. During her tenure with the district, there has never been an issue with her open sexual preferences until this year. That’s when her actions in the classroom changed, which prompted her students to voice concerns to their parents.

“The issue at Charlotte Anderson elementary school is whether Mrs Bailey has followed district guidelines requiring that controversial subjects be taught in ‘an impartial and objective manner. Teachers shall not use the classroom to transmit personal belief regarding political or sectarian issues.’

“The record will show through discovery in this lawsuit that Mansfield ISD is and has been an inclusive, supportive environment for LGBT staff for decades.”

An earlier statement from the district to the Dallas Morning News claimed Bailey held classroom discussions about “the sexual orientation of artists, and their relationships with gay artists” – an apparent reference to Bailey teaching her students about the lives of artists such as Jasper Johns and Frida Kahlo.