Employees of Catholic Institutions Who Have Been Fired, Forced to Resign, Had Offers Rescinded, or Had Their Jobs Threatened Because of LGBT Issues
Below is a list, organized by year, of workers in Catholic institutions who have been fired, forced to resign, had offers rescinded, or had their jobs threatened because of LGBT issues.
If you click on the names of the individuals in the list, you will be brought to blog posts and news stories about their particular cases. One note of caution: the blog posts will be ordered in reverse chronological order, so to see the beginning of the stories, scroll down to the bottom and read up. Also, you may find that you will see a copy of this page listed. That is because the blog search for each name also brings up this page because the name is mentioned here, too.
The list only includes those cases which have become public in the media. In many other instances, fired church works, for a variety of reasons, have chosen not to make their cases public.
(updated September 21, 2021)
Compiled by Francis DeBernardo, Executive Director, and Robert Shine, Associate Director, of New Ways Ministry
List of Employees Negatively Affected by Anti-LGBT Policies
* Indicates that this case happened outside the United States.
2007
*Sandra Pavez – was fired from teaching religion in Chile’s public schools after her same-gender relationship became known to church officials.
2008
*Jan Buterman –was fired from teaching in an Alberta, Canada, Catholic school district after he transitioned from female to male. Buterman filed legal challenges for nine years, but was ultimately unsuccessful.
2010
Jodi O’Brien –a position as a dean at Marquette University, Milwaukee, was rescinded when it was found that this lesbian sociology professor had written academic journal articles that were critical of traditional marriage.
Laine Tadlock –was fired from her position as the director of education at Benedictine University, Illinois, after her Iowa wedding to her lesbian partner was announced in a newspaper. Previous to this, her employer was aware of both Tadlock’s orientation and her marriage, and no repercussions occurred.
Sandra Worsham – was fired by a relatively new priest as the parish’s organist after marrying her wife, and was also told she and her wife should not receive Communion.
2011
Erin Macke –was fired from a Chicago Catholic high school when it was revealed she was a lesbian and had counseled a lesbian student. Laine Tadlock –was fired from an Illinois Catholic university for entering into a civil union with her partner.
2012
Steav Bates-Congdon –was fired from his parish music position in North Carolina because he married Bill Bates-Congdon.
Al Fischer –was fired from his parish and school music positions in Missouri because he married Charlie Robin.
“John Doe” –obtained an exemption from Minnesota campaign finance board public disclosure requirements because a court determined his donation to a state marriage equality campaign could jeopardize his employment at a Catholic institution.
Trish Cameron –was fired from a teaching position at a Catholic grade school in Minnesota because she expressed support for marriage equality during a teacher evaluation.
*Nigel Studdart –was fired from a teaching position at a Catholic high school in New Zealand after criticizing the principal’s comments against gay and lesbian parents.
Greg Bourke — was expelled as Scoutmaster of a Louisville-area Boy Scouts troop based at a Catholic church because he is gay; he was rejected again by church officials despite the Scouts now accepting gay leaders. Bourke and his husband, Michael DeLeon, were plaintiffs in a challenge to Kentucky’s marriage equality ban, later tied to the Obergefell case.
Don Mario Bonfanti — was removed from active priestly ministry after coming out as gay on social media.
2013
Marla Krolikowski –was fired from a New York Catholic high school when she transitioned to the female gender; New York court allowed her suit against the school to go forward and the suit was settled confidentially before Marla passed away in 2015.
Mike Moroski–was fired from his position as assistant principal at a Cincinnati high school because he posted statements in support of marriage equality on his Facebook page.
Nicholas Coppola –was dismissed from volunteer ministries at a Long Island parish for marrying David Crespo.
Carla Hale –was fired from an Ohio Catholic high school because her lesbian partner was listed in her mother’s obituary.
Christa Dias –was fired from a school job for becoming pregnant by artificial insemination; subsequently she won a lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Cincinnati because a court ruled that as a computer teacher, she was not a “ministerial employee.”
Nick Johns –was fired from an Atlanta-area parish music job because his employers learned he was gay and supported marriage equality.
Tim Nelson –was denied a school administration job after he had been in talks with a Wisconsin Catholic school system because the employer thought he was gay due to the fact that he was living with another man.
William Hudson –resigned, rather than be fired, from a Twin Cities school’s presidency because he is involved in a committed relationship with a man.
Michael McMahon –was fired from his job as a church music minister in Virginia after he married same-gender partner. Shortly after this action, he left his job as President of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians, though neither he nor his employer have disclosed why.
Ken Bencomo –was fired from a California school for marrying Christopher Persky.
Kristen Ostendorf –fired from the same Twin Cities school as Hudson (above) because she acknowledged she was in a committed relationship with a woman.
Tippi McCullough –was fired from an Arkansas Catholic high school for marrying Barbara Mariani.
Michael Griffin –was fired from a Philadelphia-area Catholic high school for informing the administration of his intent to marry a man.
Mark Zmuda –was fired from his position as vice president of a Seattle-area Catholic high school for marrying a man, Dana Jergens.
2014
Shaela Evenson–was fired from a Butte, Montana, Catholic grade school because of becoming pregnant out of wedlock. Evenson, a lesbian in a committed relationship, and her employer agree that it was her pregnancy, and not sexual orientation or her relationship, which was the reason for being fired. Yet, as a lesbian, neither church nor state will allow her to marry.
Brian Panetta –was fired from an Ohio Catholic high school for his intention to marry his partner, Nathan David, though he had agreed to resign before the wedding, at the end of the school year.
Orlando Jimenez –agreed to resign from a full-time position as a New Mexico parish organist for marrying a man, he but was denied the opportunity take offers to be a freelance musician for weddings and funerals.
Matthew Barrett –had an employment offer rescinded for a position as food service manager at a Massachusetts Catholic high school when he listed his husband as an emergency contact.
Molly Shumate –refused to sign a new Archdiocese of Cincinnati teacher contract because it required employees not to publicly support same-gender relationships, and she felt that would be a sign of disrespect towards her gay son.
*Terence Weldon –in London, England, this gay Catholic man was turned down from a volunteer job with a Catholic relief organization because he maintains a blog support Catholic LGBT people.
Colleen Simon –was fired from her job as social ministries coordinator at a Catholic parish in Kansas City, Missouri, when it inadvertently became public through a newspaper article that she was married to a woman.
Kathleen Purcell –was let go from her teaching job at an Oakland, California, Catholic high school when she signed the new teachers’ contract, but crossed out the sections which demanded that employees personal and professional lives conform to Catholic teaching.
Eva Marlatt–did not sign her contract as director of academic support at an Oakland, California, Catholic high school because the new contract clauses represented “an unworkable dilemma forced upon us: the moral dilemma between our loyalty to a wonderful (and wonderfully diverse) school community and the demands of our personal sense of integrity and our dedication to social justice and civil rights.”
Anonymous–a third teacher, unnamed in a news report, did not renew an employment contract because of new restrictive clauses at the same Oakland, California, Catholic high school that employed Kathleen Purcell and Eva Marlatt (above).
Richard Miller–was told that the contract for his job as a teacher at a Cincinnati Catholic school for the deaf would not be renewed because he lives with another man, and their six children, in a committed relationship. Miller notes that his employer knew of the relationship when he was hired, and that the non-renewal was a result of the new, restrictive archdiocesan contract.
Richard Hague –refused to sign a new Archdiocese of Cincinnati teacher contract because it required employees not to publicly support same-gender relationships. He has taught for 45 years, and said he does not believe “that Jesus would require me to condemn my friends.”
Flint Dollar –was fired from his job as band director at a Catholic school in Macon, Georgia, after he announced plans to marry his male partner of six years.
*“Silvia” (the only name she made public)–was fired from her teaching position at a Catholic school in Trent, Italy, after the headmistress heard a rumor that Silvia was a lesbian. The teacher refused to either confirm or deny it.
Colin Collette–was fired from his job as music minister at a Catholic parish in Inverness, Illinois (near Chicago), after it became known that he became engaged to be married to his longtime male partner.
*Luis Alberto González–was fired by the bishop from his job as a religion teacher in a public school in the Canary Islands, Spain, when he announced that he had legally married another man.
Benjamin Brenkert–after 10 years as a member of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), preparing for ordination, he left the community, in part because of the many firings of LGBT people by Catholic institutions. In particular the firing of Colleen Simon (see above) from a Jesuit parish had a major impact on his decision.
Barbara Webb--a lesbian woman in a committed relationship, Webb was fired from her job as a chemistry teacher at a Catholic high school in Bloomfield, Michigan, when it was found out that she had become pregnant by assisted reproductive technology.
Olivia Reichert and Christina Gambaro–this lesbian couple were fired from their teaching jobs at a St. Louis, Missouri, Catholic high school, when administrators learned they were a couple when they received the women’s joint mortgage application.
Paul Huff and Tom Wojtowick–these senior citizens who are a gay couple were dismissed from all their volunteer activities at their Montana parish and told they could not receive communion because they had recently legally married. They were told that if they divorced, ceased living together, and signed a statement renouncing their marriage.
Sam Albano–was told by his pastor to either give up his advocacy for LGBT equality or resign from leadership ministerial roles in the parish. He resigned.
Jamie Moore–was forced by the local archbishop to resign his position as music director at a Minnesota parish.
Matt Deters–resigned from a teaching position at a Catholic high school in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati after an LGBTQ-negative “morality clause” was inserted into teaching contracts.
2015
Lonnie Billard–it became public that a retired English and music teacher who had since been serving as a substitute was fired after a Catholic high school in Charlotte, North Carolina, learned that he became engaged to another man. The actual dismissal took place in July 2014.
Tyler McCubbin— a substitute teacher and track coach who had applied for a position to teach social sciences at a Des Moine, Iowa Catholic high school had his offer rescinded when it became public that he was engaged to marry a man.
Matthew Eledge–an English teacher and speech team coach did not have his contract renewed at an Omaha, Nebraska Catholic high school after he informed administrators of plans to marry a man.
*Anonymous–A lesbian kindergarten teacher was made to sign a severance agreement from her job at a Catholic school after she informed her employer of her plans to marry a woman. Because of a confidentiality agreement, her name was not made public in the press.
*Laurent Stefanini–France’s selection to be their ambassador to the Vatican has not been approved by the Holy See. Reports suggest that the Vatican’s denial was motivated by the fact that Stefanini, a seasoned diplomat, is gay, and because France legalized same-gender marriage in 2014.
Rick Estridge–resigned as vice president from Catholic Relief Services after a right-wing activist drew attention to his same-sex marriage and the organization failed to support him against public criticism.
Father Warren Hall–was removed as director of campus ministry from Seton Hall University, which is operated by the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey, after he supported the NOH8 campaign in a Facebook post. In August 2016, he was then suspended from priestly ministry by Archbishop John Myers of Newark.
Margie Winters–was fired from her position as a religious education director at a Philadelphia-area Catholic elementary school when a few parents learned she was legally married to a woman–something administrators had been aware of for a number of years.
Abi Basch–resigned from Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory School in San Francisco to seek LGBT nondiscrimination protections following the months long debate around teaching contracts in the Archdiocese.
Lauren Brown–had her contract withdrawn from St. Mary’s Academy in Portland after she disclosed her sexual orientation; after public outcry the school quickly apologized and implemented a nondiscrimination policy.
Msgr. Krzysztof Charamsa–was fired after coming out as gay and partnered from his position at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and later suspended from exercising priestly faculties by his home diocese in Poland.
John Murphy–was fired as the director of a Catholic assisted living facility in Virginia after Diocese of Richmond officials became aware of his same-gender marriage.
Sandor Demkovich–was fired as music director at a parish four days after marrying his husband and has since filed a discrimination complaint against the Archdiocese of Chicago with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Jeffrey Higgins — was fired as cantor at a Maryland church after parishioners reported seeing him and his husband at a local movie theater.
2016
Kat Williams — was scheduled to perform at a Catholic Charities fundraiser until the local bishop cancelled the event because Williams, who had performed there twice before, is a married gay woman.
Tony Spence — was forced to resign as editor-in-chief of Catholic News Service, an affiliate of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, after tweeting about LGBT issues.
Kate Drumgoole — was fired from Paramus Catholic High School in New Jersey, where she worked as the Dean of Guidance and women’s basketball coach, after an estranged family member leaked private photos of her and her wife to school officials.
Michael Templeton — was fired as the Music Director for the Church of St. Mary in Rhode Island for marrying his husband in 2015.
William di Canzio — was terminated as a lector at Daylesford Abbey, a Norbertine community near Philadelphia, based on discriminatory ministry guidelines released by Archbishop Charles Chaput.
2017
Matt Tedeschi — was fired from his position as a religious studies teacher after he asked his administration to stop student harassment resulting from their discovery that he was gay.
Anonymous — claims he was fired by a Catholic employer because he is a gay man, despite his being publicly celibate.
Ashley Tellis —says a Catholic school in India where he taught fired him because he is gay.
Mary Kate Curry — was forced to resign as a Catholic school teacher after her same-gender engagement became know to school administrators; sh wrote about this experience here.
Bob Bernard — was fired from parish music ministry because of his same-gender marriage.
Travis Loeffler — was fired from parish music ministry because of his same-gender marriage.
Dominic Mitchell — was fired from parish music ministry because of his same-gender marriage.
Larry Julik-Heine — resigned as a parish trustee, and was later barred from liturgical ministries over his objections to a priest’s decision to fire three gay musicians at the parish
2018
Mark Guevarra — was fired as a pastoral associate after being investigated for his same-gender marriage and role in developing an LGBT pastoral support group.
Jocelyn Morffi — was fired from her position as a Catholic school teacher just days after marrying her wife over their same-gender marriage.
Kristen Nelson — resigned as the softball coach at a Catholic high school after her engagement to another woman became known to church officials.
Keith Kozak — was fired because he “liked” a Facebook post about a gay couple’s wedding and he also posted a photo from another gay couple’s wedding he attended, with a message of well wishes for them.
Aaron Bianco — was forced to resign due to a campaign by right-wing Catholic groups which led to death threats, physical assault, and other hate crimes against him.
Shelly Fitzgerald — was suspended after administrators at the Catholic high school where she worked gave her the choice of divorcing her wife or losing her job.
Lynn Starkey — did not have her contract renewed by a Catholic high school because she had filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claiming the school was a “hostile work environment” after a co-worker in a same-gender marriage was suspended and she was then asked about her own same-gender union.
Anonymous — was dismissed after his contract was not renewed by a secondary Catholic school in Germany because administrators became aware of the employee’s intent to marry a male partner.
Barb Hamilton — was terminated by the Catholic high school where she was principal due to her sexual orientation, marital status, and religious belief, according to a human rights complaint Hamilton filed with government officials in Canada.
Allison King — was fired after 11 years in Catholic education when she acknowledged her same-gender marriage to administrators at the school where she worked and thus, according to Church officials, violated the “morality clause” in her contract.
Todd Simons —was fired by Our Lady’s Catholic Academy when school officials became aware of his same-gender marriage.
2019
Pat Fitzgerald — was barred from working student retreats at a Catholic high school after serving 26 years, likely because of his daughter Shelly’s own employment dispute with the school over her same-gender marriage.
Joshua Payne-Elliott — Cathedral High School in Indianapolis fired a gay employee in a same-gender marriage after Archbishop Charles Thompson threatened to withdraw the school’s “Catholic” designation if it did not do so.
Matt Luttringer — was allegedly fired as a Catholic high school’s principal because he was gay, but church officials claim his dismissal was related to poor performance and not his sexual orientation.
John Thomas McCecil — was forced to resign after nearly a decade serving as a parish music minister over, in the words of his contract, a “questionable” relationship, namely his same-gender marriage.
Lauren White — had her contract with a Catholic school where she was hired to teach withdrawn after administrators became aware White was engaged to another woman.
Kelly Fisher — was fired by Roncalli High School where she was employed as a social worker after Fisher stood up for two co-workers who had been fired over their same-gender marriages.
“Sam” — had a teaching contract withdrawn after administrators at the Catholic school where they had just been hired discovered an old Facebook post of Sam’s that featured rainbow colors.
Noel Koenke — filed a lawsuit against St. Joseph’s University claiming that harassment after her same-gender marriage forced her to resign.
Michelle Beattie — was forced to resign from Kennedy Catholic High School over her same-gender engagement along with another LGBTQ co-worker.
Paul Danforth — was forced to resign from Kennedy Catholic High School over her same-gender engagement along with another LGBTQ co-worker.
Cathy Harmon-Christian — was fired from teaching theology at a Catholic high school for being openly supportive of LGBTQ students, including her own child who attended the school.
2020
James Zimmerman — did not have his teaching contract renewed at Archbishop Alter High School after his same-gender marriage was made known to the local archbishop.
Carme Mascaró Servera — was terminated as a catechist by Bishop Francisco Conesa of Menorca after she entered a same-gender marriage.
Ashlie Langlinais — lost her job as the head women’s basketball coach at St. Dominic Savio High School after organizing a petition against a priest who had posted anti-LGBTQ statements on social media.
Tyler Key — resigned as a basketball coach for Indianapolis’ Catholic schools in protest of the archdiocese’s guidelines targeting transgender students.
Terry Gonda — was fired as St. John Fisher Chapel’s part-time music director after officials in the Archdiocese of Detroit learned of her same-gender marriage.
2021
Daniel Franzese — had a performance contract broken by Walsh University, which he claimed was because he is openly gay.
Amanda Kammes —had an employment offer rescinded by Benet Academy after school administrators learned of her same-gender marriage.