School teacher says she was demoted because she is a lesbian
Roseanne Kaplan-DiNola says she subjected to daily homophobia by fellow employees.
A school teacher says her homophobic colleagues made her life a living hell on a daily basis.
Mrs Kaplan-DiNola claims her co-workers regularly used anti-gay slurs and even called her son an “abomination against God” because he has lesbian parents.
“I used to pray to God before work and ask to not be singled out in some terrible way,” she told The New York Post.
The 53-year-old teacher went on to reveal her plans to file a discrimination lawsuit against the city’s Department of Education and her alleged tormentors.
She claims in her suit that former Principal Linda Spadaro and Assistant Principal Eileen Davies openly berated her for her “lifestyle choices.”
From the moment they started working together, Mrs Kaplan-DiNola says that Spadaro told her “that she was not comfortable with her lifestyle preferences and wanted her out” of the school.
“I was so taken aback by what Linda said I had to regain my composure,” Mrs Kaplan-DiNola recalled.
She also said that when her son was being bullied at school because his parents were gay, her boss blamed her, saying: “Well, what did you expect, having kids as a gay parent?
“It is an abomination against God, and you made this child a victim of your poor choices.”
The suit also claims Davies called the teacher a “f—ing dyke” during a disagreement about parent-teacher conferences, the suit alleges.
However, after she complained to her district superintendent, Mrs Kaplan-DiNola said that rather than receive support, she was swiftly demoted.
“The comments and the treatment were obviously incredibly offensive, yet the Department of Education has failed to take any action whatever,” said Mrs Kaplan-DiNola’s lawyer, Steven Morelli.
Mrs Kaplan-DiNola says the discrimination made her depressed and began having an effect on her personal life.
“My wife and I began to drift apart during the most stressful times largely because of the emotional toll it was taking on me,” she said.
“I’m making a stand so that someday this won’t happen to anyone anymore.”
Earlier this year, Margie Winters – a school teacher from Philadelphia – revealed she was asked to resign from her job when parents of her pupils found out she was a lesbian.
Ms Winters argues that the Catholic school she worked for knew she was a lesbian and still gave her the job – requesting she did not discus it with parents or kids, a rule by which she says she abided.
