New Legislation on Gay Marriage Might Get Teachers Fired

Country: United Kingdom

Date of incident: November 18, 2012


The British Parliamentary Undersecretary of State, Liz Truss, states she was not able to rule out the possibility that teachers refusing to use stories or textbooks favoring same sex- marriage face disciplinary consequences.

Once the changes in marriage law will have been passed even teachers in faith schools might face dismissal from employment if they refused to actively promote gay marriage. Since 2005 same-sex couples in Great Britain have the option of civil partnerships. Today these unions are not to be called marriages. The government plans to pass the new law that changes the status of civil ceremonies by 2015. Another possible consequence of the new legal situation: parents might not have the right to keep their children from attending said lessons in school. These are the conclusions Aidan O’Neill QC, a barrister from London arrives at in his evaluation of the potential results of the new law. The evaluation was commissioned by the Coalition for Marriage. Sources:  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9686306/Primary-school-teachers-could-face-sack-for-refusing-to-promote-gay-marriage.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18412222

http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2013/01/25/government-cannot-protect-teachers-from-the-sack-if-they-refuse-to-teach-same-sex-marriage/