Guidance counselor loses job at Catholic school over same-sex marriage

INDIANAPOLIS — An Indiana woman who’s worked as a guidance counselor at a Catholic high school for 39 years won’t be allowed to return to her job next year because of her same-sex marriage.

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Roncalli High School officials recently told Lynn Starkey that they won't be renewing her contract for the 2019-2020 school year, saying her marriage is a breach of the school's contract, WXIN-TV reported.

"Starkey’s 39 years of exemplary employment, including teacher of the year recognition in 2009, will end because she is in a same-sex marriage and because she filed discrimination complaints," said Starkey’s attorney, Kathleen Delaney, in a statement.

Delaney said she will amend the discrimination charge Starkey filed in November with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to include the fact that Starkey is losing her job, the Indianapolis Star reported.

Another Roncalli guidance counselor, Shelly Fitzgerald, worked at the school for 15 years until supervisors placed her on leave in August 2018 for being married to a woman, according to WXIN-TV. Two days after FItzgerald was placed on leave, Starkey said Principal Chuck Weisenbach asked her if she was in a civil union. She answered truthfully that she is.

Starkey said she believes she was singled out.

In November 2018, Starkey filed a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission saying she was discriminated against based on her sexual orientation.

Delaney is asking why other school employees aren’t being asked about their adherence to church teachings for their contracts to be renewed.

"They're not asking teachers every year...did you use birth control last year? Did you get divorced this year," Delaney told WTHR-TV. "This has been for decades a don't ask don't tell policy, whether or not it's written down. That's been reality until recently."

Once the EEOC completes its review, Starkey said she intends to sue the archdiocese and the school.

The Archdiocese of Indianapolis released a statement saying, in part, “She is in a civil union that is considered ‘contrary to a valid marriage as seen through the eyes of the Catholic Church.’”

“The 2019-2020 contract language will contain the same language. Therefore, Ms. Starkey could not in good faith enter into the contract so long as she is unable to abide by the terms of the contract.”

Cox Media Group