Our friends at Truth Wins Out clued us in about Catholic-school music teacher Al Fischer, who got canned from the St. Ann School in St Louis after word of his same-sex marriage got out to the powers that be.
Fischer was apparently popular at St. Annâs Catholic School (left) and quite open about being gayâhe and his partner, Charlie Robin, attended school functions and staff parties as a couple. It wasnât until a staffer in the archdiocese overheard Fischer mention he was marrying Robin in New York that anyone seemed to care.
Translation: You can ride the bus, so long as you sit in the back.
Fischerâs termination, sadly, will become effective on March 9, the same day the couple will tie the knot and celebrate their twentieth anniversary.
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What really threw us, though, is how sweet Fischer is being about the whole thing: In a letter to families of students he wrote, âI think the word has been well spread that this is not the fault of St. Ann School or its leadership, and I want to emphasize that I get that.â Fischer (right) added that both St. Annâs principal and parish priest, âare still there for me in a big way.â
He hasnât totally drunk the Catholic Kool-Aid, though.
âA family conversation about whether or not justice was served here could be a great thing,â he wrote. âI do not want the lesson from this for the kids to be, âKeep your mouth shut, hide who you are or what you think if it will get you in trouble.ââ
Still, either Fischer has Stockholm Syndrome or heâs waaay more merciful and forgiving than us. Weâd be more in line with Maryland lesbian Barbara Johnson, who threw a shit fit when her dumb-add priest refused to give her Communion at her own motherâs funeral service.
Reaction on St. Annâs Facebook page appears mixed (though one poster suggested the school was deleting pro-gay comments).
Mark Baker wrote:
Itâs great to see that we are no longer allowing our kids to be taught that violating natural law is okay. My only question is why was this not done sooner? I do not encourage the firing of employees, but why did this not come up sooner. Someone should have told him that having a boyfriend is wrong, and if he continued that lifestyle, he should have been dismissed long ago.
While Donald Panella commented:
While legal, I personally think firing a teacher for wanting to enter into a loving committed relationship is immoral and sets an awful example for your students. I went to Catholic schools from first grade through college, but if I have children, this makes me not want to send them to Catholic school.
Photo: Al Fischer, St Annâs Catholic School
Ellipse Kirk
Ah yes, this they call compassion and love.
“We have always been at war with Eastasia”. Miniluv at its finest.
scott ny'er
Rly? This is not unexpected. And will never change unless a new version of this religion is formed and is separated from the Vatican City.
Hephaestion
The Catholic Church is the most non-Christian religious organization on earth. What a bunch of PIGS to fire this great teacher. ASSHOLES!!
Price Waterhouse
He needs to take a big dump right on the altar during mass.
Hyhybt
@Price Waterhouse: And what would that really accomplish, other than making him unhireable anywhere, turning many who are so far on his side against him, and probably getting him locked up?
@scott nyâer: There already are such. Some of them would even have been glad to perform the wedding.
Lovingtheaternerd
What really sucks is that I know Al. I have worked with him on multiple occasions. It is hard to see that he now will have to search for a new job during his honeymoon instead of basking in the love of his new husband since he will finally be able to marry him!
Mitch
Catholics should let the church know that they will make their religious contributions to other organizations until the church “discovers” updated versions of its truths regarding women and regarding gay people. Were enough people to do that, the “discoveries” would take place with unprecedented speed. Anyone who contributes to the church is part of the problem.
smacr
@Mitch: Spot on!
Sohobod
This is why I agree with the law of my country (the UK) when it says that a catholic can not be head of state. Sometimes discrimination can be a good thing.
Drew
This is why we need EDNA for GLBT equality way more than marriage at the moment.
Hyhybt
@Sohobod: It’s a bit different there, though: your head of state is also officially the head of the Church of England. So saying Catholics aren’t allowed is like the Vatican saying that, say, Southern Baptists are ineligible for the papacy.
Hyhybt
@Drew: ENDA would not affect a religious school, particularly right after a Supreme Court ruling saying they’re exempt from antidiscrimination law.
We do need it, nonetheless. But of course it doesn’t stand a chance in the current House.
cwm
@Sohobod: sounds like a great law! though Tony Blair seems to have had little difficulty serving as PM, regardless.
B
Fisher is probably not blaming the school or its management because an order probably came down from someone between the school and the pope: it seems there was no problem until “a staffer in the archdiocese” got wind of it.
Ambrose
The Catholic Church, not content with having become irrelevant in most of Europe, is intent on attaining that status in the US. Godspeed!
Ambrose
The Catholic Church, not content with having become irrelevant in most of Europe, is intent on attaining that status in the US. Godspeed! Sad to see the church of Doris Day, the Barrigan brothers, and Archbishop Romero take this path.
Ambrose
The Catholic Church, not content with having become irrelevant in most of Europe, is intent on attaining that status in the US. Godspeed! Sad to see the church of Doris Day, the Berrigan brothers, and Archbishop Romero take this path.
Nick
Why was he fired? The article avoids the question. If it was because he has entered a legal (I presume in his state) marriage then he should have grounds to sue. I pity American citizens. When will the christian right wing learn their own history and realise that their country was founded on equality and separation of church and state. All are equal. Religion is a choice.
Richard Ford
The Spanish Inquisition, a Catholic institution, operated for about four centuries and was one of the top ten calamities of human history. Even though the Inquisition, which epitomized the perversity of supposed virtue, officially ended nearly two centuries ago, the Catholic church continues in this mentality, discovering “evil” nearly everywhere it looks, torturing and demonizing transgressors, some of whom have, as their only sin, their love of a person of their same sex and their desire to be free to express that sentiment. A “good Catholic” is, to this day, a tyrant and an enemy of reason and tolerance.
Britt
Nick- while I will say that religion is a choice- this guy shouldn’t be working at a catholic school and expect everyone to be fine with him being gay. He should have known better than that
Ogre Magi
I hate Christians
Sean
I have to applaud him on how civil, he was in his reaction of being fired.
Hyhybt
@Britt: You may notice that the people at the Catholic school *were* fine with him. It was only when those higher up got wind of things that there was trouble.
the crustybastard
And all those nice Catholics will think to themselves, “they shouldn’t have done that, that was wrong,” because they realize there’s nothing wrong with two people loving each other enough to commit forever.
Then, they will persuade themselves that the issue has nothing to do with them.
And they will continue to support that evil church like nothing happened.
“Yes, I was a German, but I didn’t push any Jews into the oven.”
You stood by. You did nothing. You are complicit with evil.
Fuck you, cowards.
Crysta Lynn
I would say keep track of the school this amazing teacher transfers to, and transferring students to it, away from Hate Central đ
Let money do the talking…
TASTEY GOODIES
@Price Waterhouse: YEAH DUDE, THAT WOULD BE A TOTAL ERIC CARTMAN MOOVE!!! TOOO RAD!!!!
TASTEY GOODIES
I AGREE WITH HYBYT, THOUGH. HATE 4 THE TEACHER 2 B UNHIREABLE. WHAT IRONY, THOUGH. 2 HAVE A NICE MEATY CHUD ON THE ALTER. I KNOW! SOMEONE CAN PUT IT THERE ON THE SNEAKTIP. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! LET’S GET SERIEL (SERIOUS) NOW. CHRIST WAS ABOUT LOVE, COMPASSION, CHARITY, AND FORGIVENESS. SO OBVIOUS THAT CONCEPT HAS ELUDED THOSE IDIOTOS IN CHARGE. TOTAL DOUCHERS.
Chuck
That’s one cute teacher. đ
kendoll
I wasn’t expecting a Spanish Inquisition!!!