Catholic School Can Fire Lesbian for Being Married Says Federal Judge
In Indiana, a federal court ruled in favor of a Catholic private school that fired a guidance counselor for being in a same-sex marriage.In Fitzgerald v.
Roncalli High School and Archdiocese of Indianapolis, Judge Richard Young ruled that the archdiocese and its schools could hire, retain, or dismiss faculty members based on their religious beliefs.
A co-director of guidance at Roncalli High School in Indianapolis, Shelly Fitzgerald, was terminated from her job after it was revealed that she had married her wife.
Since Fitzgerald’s admitted conduct violated her employment agreement, the school refused to renew her contract. In response, the guidance counselor sued Roncalli and the archdiocese for discrimination, the National Review reports.The judge, however, threw out her lawsuit last week and sided with the school.According to the court, she violated her contractual duty to serve as a minister of faith to her students and peers, which the court ruled was part of a contract she signed before she was hired.
