Certain facts are being withheld from this article to protect those involved as the story is currently developing.  It will be updated as events permit.

Ontario, Canada - Secular Earth has been made aware of a situation currently playing out in a small city in Ontario, Canada.  A teacher (Mr X) who has been employed with the Catholic school board in that city for some years has been recently given an ultimatum to resign or be fired.  The elementary school teacher was first given the ultimatum in mid-October when he was called into a meeting with the Director of Education and two union representatives.  Mr X made the mistake of allowing the board and therefore the church to become aware of his recent marriage, an act which as a gay man is completely legal in Ontario.

Upon receiving word that a male teacher had married another male and that he was still influencing children in his evil ways the board quickly acted in calling a meeting and issuing the ultimatum. Mr X must resign and accept a position which they would arrange for him with the public board by the end of October or they would terminate his employment (because we all know that non-Catholic school children are incapable of being swayed towards homosexuality as is the obvious agenda).  

Mr X contacted a prominent female lawyer who was instrumental in the legalization of same sex marriage in Ontario and the decision was made that if the Catholic Board wanted a fight then they would get one. The end of October has passed and Mr X is still employed and still teaching the same grade seven students at the same school. He has now been informed that he has until the end of November to make his decision and Secular Earth has been told that Mr X has laid out a set of demands. He has asked for a job in the same subject area, and which is similar to the position he currently holds. Whether the Catholic Board can arrange this with the Public board remains to be seen. While Mr X may be in a job that he loves and saving his employment may be his primary concern it would be a shame if this opportunity were to pass without calling this archaic organisation to task.

Citing the BNA (British North America) Act (1867) the church is arguing that they have the right to remove any teacher from their position without cause. The BNA act is now almost 150 years old and may now have to take a back seat to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The BNA Act was passed to set the legal ground rules for Canada, and divvy up the powers between the provinces and the federal government. Apparently power was also given to the Catholic Church to abstain from any laws which may hamper its powers and negatively impact its influence.

A case like this has the potential to at the very least air the dirty laundry of the church as the homophobic, misogynistic and backwards organisation that they are and if we are lucky to have occurrences like this deemed illegal by the courts and lead to the end of government funded religious education.  I for one do not want my children taught by an organisation which deems itself above the law and which would promote this kind of hatred or do I want my government funding this same organisation. I want my government secular and I want my education secular because freedom is the distance between church and state.