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Women

40,000-Plus Signatures Collected for Lesbian Gym Teacher in Ohio Fired for Being Gay

When a gym teacher at a Catholic high school in Columbus, Ohio was fired after her mother’s obituary revealed that she was in a lesbian relationship, her supporters, led by her students, initiated a Change.org petition to rehire her that easily surpassed its goal of 10,000 signatures, according to a release.

Tracy E. Gilchrist

Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.

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Tracy E. Gilchrist

TracyEGilchrist

April 22 2013 8:55 PM EST

November 08 2024 6:40 AM EST

When a gym teacher at a Catholic high school in Columbus, Ohio was fired after her mother’s obituary revealed that she was in a lesbian relationship, her supporters, led by her students, initiated a Change.org petition to rehire her that easily surpassed its goal of 10,000 signatures, according to a release.

More than 40,000 people have signed the petition to support Bishop Watterson High School rehiring Carla Hale, a physical education teacher there for 19 years.

Hale told The Columbus Dispatch that when she returned to work following her mother’s funeral last month, school administrators showed her a letter a parent, "appalled” that Hale’s name was listed next to another woman’s in the obit, had written to the Roman Catholic diocese of Columbus. The Diocese of Columbus fired her a few days later on Holy Thursday, according to a release from Change.org.

“To see The Church, which is rooted on love and acceptance, show such intolerance is extremely disheartening,” said Hope Vacarro, a senior at Bishop Watterson, according to Change.org. “Ms. Hale is a woman who has dedicated her life to the education of children, and she deserves immense respect for that. She is a moral and ethical educator who has done nothing but bring friendship and guidance to Watterson students.”