A 32-year-old former technology teacher and basketball coach at the All Souls Catholic School in Colorado is pouring her soul out to the media now that she’s been fired for breaching her contract.
Given as it’s a Catholic school, the contract requires that teachers “pledge to ‘personally [exemplify] the characteristics of Catholic living,’ which includes, ‘refraining from taking any public position or conducting himself or herself in a manner that is contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church,'” according to the Denver Archdiocese.
But now-fired teacher Maggie Barton failed to abide by the contract when she got involved in a homosexual relationship.
“The school found it necessary to conclude the teacher’s employment because she did not honor the commitments she agreed to in her contract with the school,” the Archdiocese said in a statement.
“In this case, the school was made aware that one of their teachers is in a same-sex relationship, and after discussing this with the teacher, learned that she intends to persist in violating the standards she previously agreed to uphold. An employee who violates any of the terms of their employment agreement knows from the outset of their work that they can’t remain employed at the school,” the Archdiocese added.
Case closed, right? Well not exactly. Instead of accepting her fate, Barton has been crying foul to the media.
“I think it’s important to kind of get this narrative out there because I know that choosing to work in a Catholic school as a lesbian, as someone within the queer community, might not make sense to everybody,” she said in an interview last weekend with Colorado Public Radio (CPR).
“The reason why I did that is because of my faith. To feel my own faith being weaponized against me in this way, to be terminated and to lose this position is, it’s heartbreaking,” she added.
Notice her attempt to frame herself as some sort of victim.
According to Barton, when the Archdiocese reportedly discovered a photo of her with her other half, she was told she’d be receiving a call. When she got the call, she, to her credit, fessed up about the relationship.
“He was asking me a lot of questions about my understanding of the Catholic faith and if I was aware of the church’s position on same-sex attraction and all that kind of stuff. It was a very uncomfortable conversation. That was the only correspondence that I had with the Archdiocese directly,” she told CPR.
The next day, she was told she’d been fired, and she’s not happy about it.
“The injustice of my termination lies with the Denver Archdiocese and their anti-LGBTQ+ policies. My sexual orientation is one facet of who I am, and has no bearing on my abilities as a teacher or my commitment to the values of my Catholic faith,” she said in a separate statement to Colorado One, an LGBT nonprofit.
The group echoed her concerns.
“We are disappointed to see the Denver Archdiocese continue to take this harmful stance towards LGBTQ+ Coloradans. Faith communities, including schools, should be a place for love and support,” executive director of Colorado One, Nadine Bridges, said.
“Denying admission to LGBTQ+ students, excluding LGBTQ+ parents from full participation, and in this case terminating LGBTQ+ teachers for no other cause than for who they love alienates and discriminates against LGBTQ+ Coloradans of Catholic faith,” she added.
Barton’s also taken her activism to Facebook, where last week she posted a picture that says “Let Queer Teachers Teach.”
Look:
Change can be very difficult. Currently, I’m navigating a huge change in my life, and to say it’s overwhelming would be…
Posted by Maggie Barton on Thursday, February 2, 2023
One question remains: How did she even get a job at a Catholic school in the first place?
CPR notes that she “grew up in the Catholic Church and went to Catholic schools like All Souls in Texas.”
“When she was a freshman at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, she came out to her family and friends and has since lived openly as a queer woman and regularly attended Mass. Her experiences motivated her to work at a Catholic school,” the outlet reported.
Speaking on this, Barton said, “It’s just the idea of love and community within Catholic schools is something that is very familiar to me. It’s what I’ve known my whole life. I was drawn to that because it’s something that I have known and loved.”
Then in 2017, she accepted a position at All Souls and relocated to Colorado.
“It was the only job she’s had since she moved. Now, Barton is looking for another job. She said the All Souls community has been very supportive. Parents even set up a GoFundMe to help with her expenses during her job search,” according to CPR.
“The All Souls community has been incredible. I just had an outpour of support from families and coworkers and even former students and families. It was overwhelming to me how many people were reaching out in support of me,” she said.
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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