From a Gay Teacher Being Fired to Library Not Charged for LGBT Books, This Week in Across the Country – SouthFloridaGayNews.com

This week read about a gay teacher fired at a Catholic school and church in New York, and a library in Wyoming not charged for having LGBT books.

Outing of Partner Causes Gay Teacher to be Fired

Weeks after marrying his husband, Matthew LaBanca lost his jobs at a Catholic school and church in New York City.

He was fired from teaching at St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy and from his position as the music director at Corpus Christi Church on Oct. 13. In a YouTube video, LaBanca said he was fired because someone reported his August marriage to the Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, the Advocate reported.

“So I’m stripped of both of my jobs, all of my employment, my health insurance, and most importantly stripped of the communities — the daily community life that has meant so much to me — not because of my work performances, not in the slightest, but because I’m gay,” LaBanca said.

He said he was offered a severance package but turned it down because he would have to sign away his right to discuss his firing.

A spokesperson for the diocese said in a statement, “In [LaBanca’s] case, it has been determined that he can no longer fulfill his obligations as a minister of the faith at either the school or the parish.”

Library Ultimately Not Charged for LGBT Books

 Credit: Sara Cohen, Unsplash.

Last month, a Wyoming library was threatened for possessing books on subjects like LGBT matters and sex.

Local religious groups called books such as “This Book is Gay” by Juno Dawson, “How Do You Make a Baby” by Anna Fiske, and “Dating and Sex: A Guide for the 21st Century Teen Boy” by Andrew P. Smiler — all of which were in the Campbell County Public Library in or near the “teens” or “children’s” sections, “problematic.”

People brought the books to the attention of the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office in an attempt to pursue charges against the library. The sheriff’s office referred the situation to county prosecutors, ABC reported.

Weston County Attorney Michael Stulken wrote to Campbell County Sheriff Scott Matheny. “I cannot ethically bring criminal charges if the facts surrounding a certain matter are not supported by probable cause,” Stulken wrote.

Because he did not receive a copy, Stulken didn’t review “This Book is Gay.” The library’s board voted to keep the book in the teen section, saying that removing it would be censorship.