The high school that Mayor Pete Buttigieg went to wouldn’t hire him as a teacher today because he’s gay.
When Buttigieg was 14, he started attending Saint Joseph High School in South Bend, Indiana. The school is a part of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend.
The Huffington Post asked the diocese if they would employ a teacher who is married to someone of the same sex. They said no.
“The Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend requires our educators to adhere to Catholic teachings on the respect for the dignity of all persons and on marriage as the union of one man and one woman,” a spokesperson wrote in an email.
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A teacher who is in a relationship with someone of the same sex would be “incompatible with the mission of the Catholic school educator.”
Related: Archbishop launches inquisition. All LGBTQ teachers must be fired from Indianapolis Catholic schools
The school also said that it is not accepting of transgender students.
“Educators are expected to encourage all students to accept their own bodies with their biological sex as God created them,” the spokesperson wrote.
The diocese maintains that they are accepting of gay and bi people, just as long as they remain celibate or enter heterosexual relationships.
“The issue is about persons who enter into ‘same-sex marriages’ or same-sex relationships.”
The school has received $4.5 million in Indiana school voucher money, according to a state department of education report.
“It perfectly underscores the very difficult situation of LGBTQ people in our country right now,” Eliza Byard, executive director of GLSEN, said.
“We are part of the national community to the extent there is an out presidential candidate who is himself married.” Discrimination against LGBTQ workers, though, remains legal in large swathes of the country.
