Gay Music Teacher Gets Fired From Catholic School After Marrying His Partner

Matthew LaBlanca is a music teacher that was fired from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, New York City.

LaBlanca used to be a music teacher and parish music director at the school for 16 years, and he also played the organ and led the choir at Corpus Christi Church in Queens.
He also worked as a music teacher at St. Joseph Catholic Academy in 2015, but everything changed when he married his partner in August this year. Due to his gay marriage, LaBlanca was fired from the Diocese of Brooklyn as the church does not condone with gay marriage, and they used a legal loophole to validate their decision.

Even though the state of New York does not allow for employers to disciminate their employees based on their sexual orientation, religious institutions are still allowed to favor members of their faith in various employment settings.
Yes, that still doesn’t allow them to discriminate on the basis of one’s sexuality, unless it’s for a ministerial position.

“When he was fired, Mr. LaBanca was offered a $20,000 severance package if he signed a confidentiality agreement that would bar him from discussing his firing, he said. He declined.”

A Gay Music Teacher Got Married. The Brooklyn Diocese Fired Him. https://t.co/sxacddvccC

— James Martin, SJ (@JamesMartinSJ) October 27, 2021

The Diocese of Brooklyn referred to LaBlanca as a ‘music teacher and minister’ in a statement regarding his termination, so they stated that he was fired as his marriage violates the requirement that ministers must comply with church teachings.
The man was offered a $20,000 severance package to sign a confidentiality agreement that would prevent him from discussing his termination – which he declined.

Instead, he publicized his termination to highlight the church’s use of the legal loophole, and discussed what it means to align with the Catholic faith.

Additionally, he claimed that he did not sign a contract for the ‘Minister’ position at the parish, and stated that it’s a strong label for what he does, and he would have never labeled himself a minister.
Notably, he was open about his sexuality while employed with the Diocese, but things changed when he got married to his partner.

Source: Upworthy

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