'STABBED IN THE BACK'

Beloved Gay Teacher Fired Over Husband’s Obituary

The music teacher had taught at the school for over 20 years before a parent complained to the administration.

A music teacher at a Catholic school in Louisiana claims he was fired for being gay after school officials came across a 2023 obituary for his late husband. Mark Richards, who had taught at St. Francis Xavier Catholic School in Metairie, Louisiana, was allegedly terminated for violating his contract’s morality clause, which prohibits engaging in “homosexual activity.” However, Richards claims that administrators knew he was gay; a previous school administrator had told him his job would be safe if he kept his sexuality private, People reports. But when a parent looked into Richard’s past and saw he had been married to a man, the parent alerted the archdiocese. Richards told WDSU that he felt he was “stabbed in the back,” reflecting, “It’s just a sad reality that this is the world we live in today. It’s heartbreaking. I enjoyed teaching at this school. I loved those kids.” More than 1,500 parents have signed a petition to change the morality clause and allow Richards to return, according to the New York Post.