Diocese of Columbus: Reinstate faculty member Carla Hale

Discrimination is something that people have fought for generations. The most prominent form of discrimination in today's society is discrimination on the basis of sexuality. Carla Hale, a beloved teacher at Bishop Watterson High School, was fired by the Diocese of Columbus because of her sexuality.

Last month Ms. Hale’s mother passed away, and the local newspaper listed her female partner’s name in the obituary. Someone sent an anonymous letter to the diocese to complain. When Ms. Hale returned to work after burying her mother, she was terminated.

She was a teacher who cared for her students and treated each one with respect. The diocese, however, did not reciprocate that respect in its treatment of her. It's unfair that someone who cared so much about her students and her job should lose them on the basis of something she cannot even control.

The diocese claims its mission is to teach its students about love, acceptance, and tolerance, and yet it did none of this in the way it treated Ms. Hale. That is why we all have to stand up together and let it be known that this decision is unacceptable. If we do not fight this issue now, it will happen again, and that is not something we can allow.

When we allow injustice to go unnoticed and unpunished, we all are hurt. We have an obligation to Ms. Hale and ourselves to make sure the Diocese of Columbus hears us and decides to overturn its decision.

By Jackson G.

Columbus, Ohio

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