Another day, another Catholic school employee fired for the crime of being married and gay:

Band director Flint Dollar, 32, had posted on his Facebook page that he plans to marry his male partner of six years this summer in Minnesota. He said Thursday that officials at [Mount de Sales Academy] in Macon [Georgia] told him he was being fired because of that planned marriage.

This is no surprise to anyone. Late last year, a Catholic school assistant principal in Seattle was fired for similar reasons.

And once again, the students at the school are showing they have a much bigger heart than any of the administrators, leading a large rally in his defense on Friday (that had to be moved to a bigger venue) and setting up a Facebook page in his honor.

They also wanted to set up a fundraiser for his wedding and honeymoon, but Dollar insisted that the money be earmarked for the school’s band instead.

Dollar likely won’t get his job back. But the kids will learn a very important lesson: There’s no good reason to remain in the Catholic Church when it’s run by bigots like Academy president David Held, who tried to defend himself with this statement:

“Personnel decisions are never easy, and we consider many factors when making such decisions,” wrote Held. “Teaching ability, knowledge of the subject matter, the ability to communicate with constituents, and the willingness to support the teachings of the Catholic Church are just some of factors considered when making these decisions. Please know that these decisions are never made arbitrarily and are guided always by our mission as a Catholic School.“

That’s a very polite way of saying these decisions are made for one reason and one reason only: The Church cares far more about what happens in someone’s bedroom than what’s in someone’s heart. Dollar has shown every sign of being a wonderful teacher and a role model to the students. He just ran afoul of the Catholic belief that gay people have no business getting married.

Hopefully the students will remember that when they’re old enough to make the decision of whether or not to remain in the Church.



