Lesbian educator's marriage leads to exit

[sabra]

Source: Chicago Trib

Official at Benedictine University at Springfield says she was pressured to resign

A lesbian educator said she left her position at a Catholic university under pressure after a wedding announcement for her and her partner ran in a local newspaper.

Laine Tadlock, 60, said she was asked to retire early from Benedictine University at Springfield after the announcement ran in The State Journal-Register during the summer.

...

Following the published announcement of their June wedding in Iowa, Tadlock and her wife, Kae Helmstrom, were congratulated publicly by strangers and acquaintances.

Officials at Benedictine, however, began fielding public outcry, said Tadlock, who lives in Springfield. On Aug. 27, President William Carroll asked her to retire early, Tadlock said.

In a statement released Wednesday, Benedictine officials said the university did not terminate Tadlock's employment, that she continued to receive full pay and benefits and that she was reassigned to a new position, director of academic quality improvement program accreditation, assessment and institutional effectiveness.

Tadlock said she was offered the position, which she didn't take, after she was asked to retire early. After she declined the new position, administrators said they viewed her decision as a resignation from the university.


Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-met-lesbian-teacher-wedding-20101111,0,5908618.story

[Fearless]

1. Yeah we don't need federal recognition or anything... right??

:eyes:

[elleng]

2. Right, wouldn't matter, religious institution, so Fed or State or any govt

recognition irrelevant.

[SarahB]

5. So if they wanted to fire a white woman for marrying a black man they could?

Wow! Thanks for the primer on the law!

[elleng]

7. This story is not about 'firing,' you might notice.

Facts are very important, when discussing legal matters.

'she declined the new position, administrators said they viewed her decision as a resignation from the university'

As to your b/w marriage question, and if it were 'firing,' would depend on the basis for such. (Rather 'wild' hypothetical, imo.)

[Occulus]

12. It's a wild hypothetical to suggest one might be fired for

marrying someone of another skin color?

Have you ever opened a history book, elleng?

[elleng]

13. ...

:thumbsdown:

[Fearless]

15. Is such behavior is only occurring in private institutions?

[SkyDaddy7]

3. I'm sorry!

I love what America "could be" but I can't stand who America is. I fear this past election was just a warm up for things to come. I really do think America is a right of center nation & moving further right each day. I know some here try to argue this country is center-left but I don't see any hints of it...Especially what I consider "left" this country is not!

[uppityperson]

4. I hate headlines like this. Did she teach lesbians? Was she a teacher & lesbian?

k&r for the article but fail for the headline. What is a "lesbian educator"?

[AlbertCat]

6. I hate headlines like this. Did she teach lesbians?

She obviously taught students HOW to be a lesbian.

I know.... people who actually WRITE for a LIVING can't even get simple modifiers correct. Like we're supposed to be impressed they just spelled everything correctly.

[struggle4progress]

8. ... Tadlock was offered a different position at Benedictine, a position she refused because she says

she isn’t qualified for the job. Benedictine’s position is that she is qualified. The school warned Tadlock that if she did not take the position, the university would consider that her resignation ...

In talks with Tadlock after publication of the wedding announcement, Benedictine president William Carroll said it wasn’t her homosexuality that was the issue, nor the fact that she was married in Iowa. It was publication of the announcement in the paper, which included the fact that she was working at Benedictine.

“… Some university officials were aware that Tadlock is a gay woman,” says the statement issued Thursday. “Tadlock acknowledged her awareness that some aspects of her lifestyle are incompatible with fundamental Catholic beliefs, particularly a domestic partnership with another woman.

“It was not Tadlock’s orientation, but rather the public disregard for fundamental Catholic beliefs which was the basis for the university’s decisions. These decisions were made only after full discussion with the appropriate diocesan officials” ...

Benedictine defends actions leading to gay woman's departure
By DAVE BAKKE
THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER
Posted Nov 11, 2010 @ 11:34 PM
Last update Nov 12, 2010 @ 05:56 AM
http://www.sj-r.com/breaking/x2090950442/Benedictine-defends-actions-leading-to-gay-womans-departure

[L.Torsalo]

10. In short, she was fired for being gay.

It is the "fundamental Catholic beliefs" which she has transgressed, SPECIFICALLY in the sense that she is a lesbian and lesbianism is viewed as immoral under Catholic dogma, that should be questioned here.

First, the hypocrisy of this line;
“… Some university officials were aware that Tadlock is a gay woman,”
and the moneyshot;"...some aspects of her lifestyle are incompatible with fundamental Catholic beliefs, particularly a domestic partnership with another woman."

So pray tell, how does deploying a smokescreen ie; a new position for which she is not qualified, cover over the fact that the press statements literally say that she was fired for having "a domestic partnership with another woman"? It shamed the Benedictine University directors/board, so they arranged a "plausibly deniable" bogus reason for firing her.

Catholics, make me want to puke. (cue DeadKennedys...All religions make me sick, all religions make me wanna throw up...);P


(edited for punctuation)

[struggle4progress]

14. Could be. It sounds to me more like the Catholics were OK with employing a lesbian,

as long as she didn't make too much noise about it, perhaps in much the same way that they might be OK about hiring somebody who used a diaphragm or condoms for birth control, provided the person didn't make too much noise about it

The Catholic position on such matters is rather well-known, and it is often balanced by the view that perfection is not expected but that a continuing attempt towards perfection is expected: so the Catholics are often quite tolerant in some ways, provided failure to meet the guidelines isn't too openly flaunted

I dunno. I'm not Catholic, so I'm not bound by Catholic rules, but I something wish the Catholics were a bit more graceful. On the other hand, I do think the Catholics have a general right to promote their moral vision, even when I disagree with it; the school is a Catholic school; and the woman in question must have been aware of the Catholic moral vision. And, of course, as a purely political matter, it would be a complete loser to insist that religious institutions must employ people who do not share their moral vision: it's a strategy guaranteed to stir up the conservatives and lose a chunk of the center

[demigoddess]

9. it is interesting in that if she were accused of murder she

would probably only be suspended until found guilty in court. But also, they offered her the other job knowing she would refuse it, but having offered it, they can say they did not fire her for being homosexual. It is an old legal trick. When I went to school, women who were pregnant were not allowed to teach. I thought we would not be such idiots in this day and age.

[justiceischeap]

11. So basically, they don't have a problem with her being gay

They just have a problem with her being OPENLY gay.

Sounds kinda like how the Catholic church handles priests who touch kids. When someone complains, move them to a new parish to hide the truth of what they are.