Anti-queer (and especially anti-trans) sentiments have really gained traction in the last few years, thanks largely to power-hungry Republicans. We’ve seen conservatives at both the local and state levels push anti-LGBTQ+ agendas seemingly as a means to get their voter base enraged enough to get to the polls. Specific issues vary slightly, but there are certain overarching themes: Banning or heavily restricting access to safe, age-appropriate gender-affirming health care for trans youth; banning books by and about LGBTQ+ people and people of color in public school classrooms and libraries; restricting bathroom and locker room access to keep trans youth out; mandating that public schools “out” queer youth to their parents or guardians; and of course, a favorite issue of the Republican Party as of late: keeping trans girls off of girls’ sports teams.
Now, much of what Daily Kos continues to cover involves public schools and public education. It’s (sadly) not surprising that a private school can be less than accepting or inclusive on certain issues. But that doesn’t mean it’s fair or right. And in a recent example out of Colorado, one former teacher believes she was fired from her job because she’s in a same-sex relationship—and her heart is broken.
“I was never planning to leave,” 32-year-old Maggie Barton, who taught elementary and middle school and coached basketball at All Souls Catholic School in Englewood, Colorado, for the last six years, tells local outlet CBS Colorado in an interview. But the Archdiocese of Denver says Barton was let go because she didn’t abide by her contract. In what way? Living in a manner outside the teachings of the church apparently—though Barton, who was raised in the faith, doesn’t see it that way at all.
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"The programs I have put in place and how much growth I have seen in my students,” Barton told the outlet in part. “I wanted to stay." She went on to say she was raised in the Catholic Church and she was happy to teach in a Catholic school because she wanted to share those “values” and experiences with her students.
To this end, Barton believes she unfairly lost a job she truly loved.” It is hard for me to wrap my head around,” she said.
So, how did it happen? In a statement to the outlet, the Archdiocese of Denver said the school moved to “conclude” Barton’s employment because she “did not honor the commitments she agreed to in her contract with the school.” Those comments include a pledge to “personally exemplify the characteristics of catholic living,” including not taking any “public position or conducting himself or herself in a manner that is contrary to the teachings of the catholic church.”
But, again. Barton was raised in the faith and wants to be in a Catholic school environment—she just happens to be in a same-sex relationship. And as she tells the outlet, she doesn’t see how her orientation or relationship status undermines her ability to leave the church’s values and teachings.
As reported by LGBTQ Nation, someone sent an image of Barton kissing her same-sex partner to the school. The image apparently came from her partner’s social media account. In speaking to the Denver Gazette, Barton said she tried to keep her relationship private and off of social media. Even still, it seems an “investigator” received a photo of Barton and her partner together, and she was terminated over the phone soon after refusing to “denounce" the relationship, per the Gazette.
If you’re wondering how this is legal, it’s because it’s a private religious school, not a public one. So while we have anti-discrimination protections, they don’t apply in this case. But that’s legally speaking, not necessarily ethically speaking.
One small glimmer of light comes from her community, where according to the outlet, more than $20,000 has been raised via a GoFundMe campaign for Barton as she recovers from her job loss. The school is reportedly not paying her for the rest of the academic year.
In the big picture, this is just another example of how insidious anti-queer rhetoric can be, especially so when it comes to schools and education. The right has been pushing anti-queer “groomer” language hard, and it feels like we’re stepping back in time to a point where openly queer people were considered “dangerous” or “inappropriate” to be around children, because of paranoid fears that openly queer people would “indoctrinate” or “turn” young people queer. There’s also the idea that public queerness is somehow distasteful or something only appropriate for other adults, which further demonizes and isolates both LGBTQ+ youth and adults.
The cherry on this particular sundae, in my opinion, comes with the realization that Barton seemingly lost her job right around the time Pope Francis received much praise for encouraging the church to be more accepting of openly queer people, not less. Pope Francis gave a very “live and let live” version of “hate the sin, not the sinner” earlier this January, but it seems a far cry from Barton’s story. And that’s another reason we need to keep pushing for consistent acceptance and equality, not just nice words and vague promises of allyship.
No one should have to live in the closet to save their job.
Here’s a brief news clip courtesy of local outlet 9News:
