A female teacher at a Catholic high school in Columbus, fired after the name of her same-sex partner appeared in her mother's published obituary, is fighting to get her job back.

Carla Hale, 57, a physical education teacher at Bishop Watterson High School for 19 years, was told by the school principal that she was fired not for being gay but for being in a gay relationship.

"Your written spousal relationship violates the moral laws of the Catholic Church," Marian Hutson, principal of Bishop Watterson, wrote to Hale in a March 28 letter.

The obituary, printed in the Columbus Dispatch, listed survivors, including "daughter, Carla (Julie) Hale."

The Catholic Diocese of Columbus was alerted to the obituary by an anonymous letter. The writer claimed to be "a concerned parent" of a Watterson student who had been in Hale's class.

A copy of the letter, given to The Plain Dealer by Hale's lawyer, reads, "I was shocked by what I saw. It had her teacher's name and that of her 'spouse' listed. It was two females!"

Hale was told by the school that she violated a contract between the diocese and a union representing Catholic teachers, specifically a section that reads teachers can be fired for "immorality."

Hale was not available for an interview. In a statement issued last week through her lawyer, Thomas Tootle of Columbus, she said, "The decision that I made -- to acknowledge Julie, my partner, in my mother's obituary -- is not immoral."

Officials of the Columbus diocese did not return Plain Dealer phone calls seeking comment.

However, Columbus Bishop Frederick Campbell told the Dispatch last week that Hale's firing was necessary to maintain "the integrity of our faith."

"We don't necessarily go looking for things like that, but this was made public," Campbell said.

Tootle said Hale was private about her sexuality, never discussing it with her students or superiors.

In the letter terminating Hale's contract, Hutson, the principal, also wrote: "I will write a letter of recommendation attesting to your professional background, experience and teaching ability if you seek employment in a public school system."

But Hale wants her job back at Bishop Watterson.

Late last month she filed a grievance through the teachers union, asking to be reinstated. In a handwritten response, Hutson wrote, "You were not terminated for being gay, but for the spousal relationship publicized in the newspaper which is against church teaching."

A spokeswoman for Hutson referred Plain Dealer questions to the Columbus diocese.

The Catholic Church accepts gays, but condemns gay sex. To be in good grace with the church, a gay person must be celibate.

But Tootle said he sees nothing specific in the teachers' contract or diocesan policies that says Hale, a Methodist, has to abide by the teachings of the Catholic Church.

"Immorality," he said. "That's an awfully vague term."

A spokesman for the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland said a morals clause is built into a contract between the diocese and an association representing high school teachers at diocesan-owned and -operated schools. At schools for younger students, the Cleveland diocese recommends individual contracts that require teachers to abide by church teachings.

Last week, Hale filed a complaint with the Columbus Community Relations Board, a city-government panel that investigates incidents of discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or sexual orientation.

The board is authorized to conduct hearings on complaints and work with the city's lawyers to prosecute cases.

Meanwhile, Hale is gaining worldwide attention through a grass-roots movement organized to join her cause and fight discrimination.

Using social media, organizers of a group called #halestormOhio have collected tens of thousands of signatures on an online petition calling for Hale's reinstatement.

"Discrimination is inexcusable in this day and age," said Amanda Finelli of Columbus, a former student of Hale's who organized #halestormOhio.

She is joined in the crusade by Richard MacAleese of North Olmsted, who is a friend of Finelli.

"This issue is much larger than simply the reinstatement of Carla Hale," he said. "These kinds of things are happening all across the country, especially in religious institutions. We hope to effect change in a greater sense."

As of late last week, the group had collected more than 100,000 signatures.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: momalley@plaind.com, 216-999-4893