Thousands demand high school fire homophobic coach who claimed equal marriage ‘should never have been allowed’
A high school coach’s tweet against marriage equality became a lightning rod for controversy. (Stock photograph via Elements Envato/Twitter)
A high school coach is under investigation from a public school district in Missouri, US after he tweeted that marriage is only “between a man and woman”.
Charles Glotta, a basketball, tennis and track coach in Fort Zumwalt’s school district, tweeted on October 3: “Never should have allowed gay marriage to start with.
“Marriage is between man and woman, plain and simple.”
As someone who is LGBT and grew up in the FZSD, I wouldn’t feel safe knowing there were teachers that held these views, voiced them publicly, and the school decided to still keep them. @MaddDawgHoops @FZNPrincipal #Glottasgottago pic.twitter.com/fuaMv0Ea7s
— Kayla Ann (@SmthngSeemsOff) October 5, 2020
Glotta was responding to a tweet from actor Jeremy Leroux criticising the Republican Party for rolling over a 2016 pledge to reverse marriage equality on its election platform, The College Fix reported.
High school coach that tweeted against marriage equality ‘should have been fired years ago’, says student.
His comments ignited a tidal wave of backlash from Twitter users, prompting Glotta to apologise.
“I made a post earlier that was apparently insensitive to many and hurtful,” he said.
“We all make mistakes and mine was public. I apologise to anyone that was offended. In reading responses I am deeply regretful of hurting anyone’s feelings.”
The school district’s superintendent claimed that the tweet was a violation of the school system’s ethics policy, according to Metro Weekly
Superintendent Bernard DuBray said: “His Twitter feed — it wasn’t privatised and so it was open for any of our students, parents, community to see.
“If he wants to have an opinion that’s fine but he needs to keep it to himself or privatise his Twitter.”
Caitlin Bush, a former student of Glotta, has sought to have the coach fired for sharing “something no teacher should vocalise on a platform that students are guaranteed to see”, she wrote in a Change.org petition calling for his resignation.
Bush continued: “This isn’t the first time he’s said something this ignorant, but it will be the last – if we can help it.”
Glotta was described by Bush as an “excuse of a man should have been fired years ago.”
So far the petition has been signed by more than 2,000 people.
