Between budget shortages, Don’t Say Gay bills, and the constant spectre of school shootings, you would think that teachers are subjected to enough. Apparently, Valley Lutheran High School in Cedar Falls, Iowa is perfectly happy adding insult to that long list of injury.
Gay music teacher Matthew Gerhold was forced to resign after having his phone hacked and personal information about his sexuality posted to Facebook. According to a report from Iowa Capital Dispatch, school officials knew he was gay when they hired him, but made him keep his sexuality a secret as terms of his employment.
When information and photos displaying Gerhold’s sexuality were leaked completely out of his control by a third party, the school’s head pastor reportedly told Gerhold that he was going to be fired after an upcoming meeting with the school board and that “it would be better for all concerned if he would just quit.” Gerhold resigned soon after.
Related: A teacher was fired for helping a bullied, queer teen. Now his student are raising hell.
To add even more insult, when Gerhold was granted unemployment benefits because of this situation, the school appealed to have said benefits un-granted. Thankfully, the honorable Judge Blair Bennett shut all of that down, allowing Gerhold to keep his unemployment.
Though that doesn’t fix the injustice of his being forced to resign, it’s at least a victory.
Firing a teacher for such an inconsequential reason as their sexuality is an especially embarrassing move coming from a state that is hemorrhaging educators; some 500 teachers in nearby Des Moines are reportedly resigning this Summer alone.
Related: WATCH: Hundreds of Florida students walk out of class chanting “WE SAY GAY”
Despite it all, Gerhold seems to be handling his situation gracefully.
“My sexual identity has absolutely nothing to do with my career in music and my love for music,” Gerhold stated. “If the church as a whole doesn’t want to use me for whatever they are striving to achieve, then I shall go somewhere else that would love to have me to live out my vocation for others.”
Chrisk
Yeah, remember this is from the professional victimhood religious freedom organization.
The teacher should most definitely sue the shitheads.
Rambeaux
A lawsuit is a waste of time.
It is a private Lutheran school.
He should have known not to post his life on Facebook and not paint a target on his back.
GrizzleyMichael
Get rid of all religions they are what is killing the world.
Brian
Wait but conservatives said that they want to stop cancel culture.
Jaquelope
What they SAY, and what they DO, are very often two very different (and often completely opposite) things.
DarkZephyr
This is discrimination, pure and simple. Its disgusting that they tried to even take away his unemployment benefits. Absolutely sick.
That being said, I must say that I continue to scratch my head at LGBTQ+ educators who take jobs or try to take jobs at institutions of a religious nature with anti-gay doctrines. I suppose it has to do with simple need of a paycheck.
Fname Optional Lname
They tried to take away his unemployment benefits. They wanted HIM to suffer because they were embarrassed and are filled with hatred. A faith based institution that promotes Jesus and his teachings could not be any more off the mark. If Jesus were alive today he would spend his time with the outcasts and not hate filled bigots who would take food out of someone’s mouth because they are different.
johncp56
I see red when I see these stories, teach your F!@#$%^&*ING kids at home your selves,
Religions and so-called loving god Christianity, can Suck my shit, pay taxes, whois the evil ones here , selling hate judging guilting,
IanHunter
Every music teacher I had was gay. No one thought anything about it. I grew up in a very small town, and it seemed like everybody accepted them for themselves. I was lucky I didn’t grow up in a bigot religious hate-filled environment.
PinkoOfTheGange
And most of them played the churches’ organs on Sunday.
barryaksarben
I am not surprised that it was in Iowa the state where I grew up bullied by every single person in that town. I get sick of anyone referring to the fly over states as the heart of our nation. Or that the people there are kind and loving. They were pigs and the worst was from the kso called christians. Before I knew anything about sex I was bulled for being small and shy. I was forced to be on the football team because being a small town all the boys played football. the coach who they all loved used me as a tackle dummy giving me neck injuries that have led to surgery later in life. The administration did nothing when I complained so it got worse. Same coach for wrestling wh threw me around the mat demonstratring that he could throw a small kid around. The teachers were horrible and townspeople I didnt even know (Supposed serious adults) would go out of their way to belittle and insult me. That was your basic IOWA town. A shithole of horrible people,
cthomas59
I grew up in CF.. little background from what I found from Google.. This is a church school.. a K-12 school… NOT just a high school… 2022 only had 136 students in all grades… so 136 divided by 13… 10 per class… has only been opened 19 years… Was not there when I graduated.. CF is a college town (University of Northern Iowa) of 40K approximately and the Public High School has a pretty thriving GSA type of group called SAGA.. has included gender affirming … so this was basically very small amount of people that was against this.. a very small amount of people did this out of the 40K.
Georgeiv2
I agree the religious right in America is vile evil and should be banned .If America were a secular country so many ills could be cured 42 % of Americans already say they have no religion, as it is now they have no voice. The bigoted religious minority continue to decide what women can or cant do with their own bodies ,that adults cant choose who they wish to love , No tax without representation should also be no representation without tax ! Tax the churches ! These gun carrying ,Bible quoting ,children murder allowing vile evil people should be kicked out and get democracy back into America. !
johncp56
Scummy school needs to be outed and taxed if it is not, basic human rights, we all have to look at str8 crap all our lifes,, I hope he sues them silly