Sometimes Catholic schools ban children for being the kin of homosexual parents. This time, a Catholic school is banning a teacher for being a homosexual parent.
Lisa Reimer teaches music at Little Flower Academy, a Catholic school in the Vancouver area. She is a lesbian. And, she claims, after parents raised concerns about the dyke-y lady’s sexuality, the principal canned her.
Neither Reimer nor the school would talk to reporters earlier today. But Reimer referred questions to Steve LeBel, a member of the Pride Education Network, who issued a news release he crafted with Reimer that claims she was told by the school’s principal that parents had raised concerns about her sexual orientation after she asked for parental leave. “Ms. Reimer was told that she was dismissed because many parents had complained since they had become aware of the fact that she had recently become a parent and that her spouse was a woman. The families were worried that, “the girls might follow Ms. Reimer’s lead,” LeBel said in the news release.
He claimed in an interview later that the school had told Reimer, who has a one-year teaching contract, not to show up at the school and that they would send marking assignments to her electronically until her contract ends in June. “She’s been told not to set foot in the door,” LeBel alleged. “Assignments, tests, such as they are, are to be sent to her electronically to be graded. They expect her to grade them on a course that isn’t happening. They are not going to have any music instruction til the end of the school year,” he said.
Interestingly, Reimer’s attorney says Little Flower knew she was gay before hiring her.
With her partner expecting a baby this spring, LeBel said Reimer asked for parental leave and was told she could take up to 15 days from her bank of sick days. She took time off after the baby was born nearly three weeks ago, he said. “She was expecting to back at work Monday, and instead she was called in for a meeting and told that she would not be required back at the school, nor would she be allowed back at the school between now and the end of June, and she was not to have any contact with the students.”
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Cam
Interesting because probably a few decades ago probably half of all nuns were lesbians. Additionally, it seems like the school could get in trouble for faking a course by asking her to grade papers on a class that isn’t happening.
JD
Wouldn’t this be protected in Canada? I thought they had hefty LGBT protections there….even in regards to religious institutions..?? Can anyone clarify if that’s true or what the deal is in the homeland?
edgyguy1426
It seems like the Catholic Church is gearing up for a take-no-prisoners war. If it’s war they want….
Pat
They knew she was gay before they hired her and then fired her for it? Sounds like a juicy lawsuit. Happily, the Catholic church has very deep pockets.
rudy
If only she’d been a pedophile priest, all would be well.
hudson
this was on the news a couple of nights ago. She runs a well recognized music program. the news clip seemed to suggest that it was the catholic immigrant parents that were storming the gates- using the excuse that they were ‘traditional’. the students interviewed didn’t give a damn about her orientation. the hiring body may have known her orientation but not necessarily the benefactors- til now.
hetmobi
@JD: i was surprised this is a canadian story, as well. heck, we’re one of the first countries to have full-on, legal same-sex marriage across the nation!
i’m thinking that because it’s a catholic school in a catholic school board and not a public school, there may be some religious allowances or something like that…