Stacy Bailey, a Texas art teacher, twice voted teacher of the year, was put on "administrative leave" (i.e. temporarily laid off, but with pay and benefits intact) by Mansfield Independent School District, near Fort Worth, Texas. The reason? Complaints from a single homophobic parent, who was incensed that Ms. Bailey had the temerity to share a humorous picture of herself and her then fiancée, Julie Vasquez.
But Ms. Bailey stood up for herself, and has just won a court case and received a $100,000 settlement. The eight-month leave has been expunged from her record, and Mansfield ISB is to receive mandatory training on LGBTQ issues. Ms. Bailey still teaches at Lake Ridge High School, and she and Ms. Vasquez are now happily married. She donated part of her settlement to a local non-profit organization that deals with LGBTQ issues, as did her lawyer out of his reduced fees. The school board is left with egg on its face, and the disgruntled parent is ... probably just as disgruntled and intolerant as ever.
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