In 2014, the Charlotte Catholic High School and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Charlotte gave Billard the sack after he announced that he was marrying a man on Facebook.
According to Billard’s 2017 lawsuit against the school, local diocese spokesman David Hains publicly said that he was dismissed for “going on Facebook, entering into a same-sex relationship, and saying it in a very public way that he does not agree with the teachings of the Catholic Church”.
Billard had been a longtime staff member at the school at the time of his firing, having taught there for more than 10 years and been winning the Teacher of the Year award in 2012.