So, going to see -- not participate in -- a drag show is now "ungodly?"

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jul/27/texas-teacher-fired-drag-show

A veteran teacher was fired by a private Christian school in Texas for attending a drag show in her own time and posting about in on social media.

Drag performances have become a popular recent target for numerous Republican-controlled states that have proposed or enacted laws restricting or criminalizing such shows.

The Texas governor, Greg Abbott, signed into law last month a bill that outlaws drag performances in the presence of children.
protester outside Florida capitol with sign saying 'drag is beautiful'

Leaders of the First Baptist Academy in Baytown ruled that Kristi Maris, a teacher at the school for 19 years, had breached a condition of employment requiring her to “act in a godly and moral fashion at work, on Facebook and in my community”.

Maris told ABC13 of Houston she agreed to the condition, but did not realize it prevented her attending a drag show, or sharing photographs or videos of it. In a Facebook post, she said the entertainment was “a blast”.

A co-worker who joined her at the show, hosted at Hamburger Mary’s, a popular drag venue and bar in downtown Houston, was also fired.

“I feel like we were treated like criminals,” Maris told the TV station.

“They’re entertainers. We were in disbelief. We still are. We were heartbroken. We had relationships with parents and the kids, and I didn’t even get to say goodbye to a lot of the kids.”

Maris said she was a devoted Christian and taught her students that God loved them all equally. “We should love everybody, and that’s what we’ve been teaching, but they’re expecting us not to do that,” she said.

School officials did not respond to requests from local media for comment. A spokesperson for Hamburger Mary’s told the Houston Chronicle it would host another show to raise money for the fired teachers.

Good heavens.

Her first mistake was to work for a school that required her to act in "a godly and moral fashion" at work, in the community, and on social media. Hopefully she can find work elsewhere.

summer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Her first mistake was to work for a school that
> required her to act in "a godly and moral fashion"
> at work, in the community, and on social media.
> Hopefully she can find work elsewhere.

Maybe she would have been kept on if she said she attended so she would know who to kill to please God?
After all, wiping out everyone on earth buy 8 favorites... Such a Godly thing to do.

Many teachers will not work in the community in which they live for just this reason. They don't want to be judged for what they are wearing outside of school hours, or where they go. Many teachers are also cautious about who they add as friends on social media.

summer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Her first mistake was to work for a school that
> required her to act in "a godly and moral fashion"
> at work, in the community, and on social media.
> Hopefully she can find work elsewhere.

Oh, I missed that little detail about it being a private school. That is more understandable in terms of the expectations they would have of an employee.

I think I would be more inclined to support this teacher's plight if a public school had fired her. As it is, I think that those who work in private schools (as well as those who work in private employment all-around) are not afforded the same rights and protections as their public counterparts.

I agree. This teacher (along with her colleagues) was impelled to sign a morality clause in her contract with the school. As I noted above, this required her to always act in "a godly and moral fashion". I don't know why she was so surprised that she was fired.

This is also why (public school) teachers' unions are so important. There is no way that a union would allow this to happen to a public school teacher. And lest you think this kind of behavior from school administrators is a rarity, it is not. They try to get away with all kinds of shenanigans. It takes union intervention to keep them in check.

Can someone define precisely what "a godly and moral fashion" is?

moehoward Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Can someone define precisely what "a godly and
> moral fashion" is?

Precisely, but with todays judges, unfortunately this question won’t get much traction, the cards are arranged in favor of employers.. ex. Hobby Lobby



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/28/2023 12:33AM by GNPE.

to fire someone.

Teachers are normally contract workers, though. I think different rules apply?

yet another Blurr between employees and contract workers.

legal me: an employment agreement (wages + benefits for work) is actually a (often verbal) contract, even if unwritten.

Man, that's a drag.

Too easy, my friend. Even EOD would not stoop that low.

I have to throw out a softball now and then, and he doesn't need to stoop. He's shorter than me.

"He so stoo-ped," said the uneducated teacher.

"But look on the bright side. At least he'll never chafe."

--Anonymous Los Vegas pediatrician in the early 1950s