The Washington-based gay vice principal who was forced to resign after Catholic school officials learned he'd married another man announced plans to file a discrimination lawsuit.
Earlier this year, Mark Zmuda said that Eastside Catholic High School President Sister Mary Tracy (who has since reportedly resigned) gave him the option of getting a divorce but not an annulment, and that he and husband Dana Jergens would be allowed to have a commitment ceremony that would be paid for by the church.
As the Associated Press is now reporting:
The school and the church decided Zmuda couldn't continue in his job after they learned he had married his same-sex partner. They cited an employment agreement Zmuda had signed that said his public behaviors would at all times be consistent with the values and teachings of the Catholic Church.
The lawsuit accuses the school and the church of "discrimination, wrongful termination and violation of the state consumer protection laws," according to the AP report.
Parents of students who support Zmuda told KIRO 5 they weren't surprised by the news.
“This is unfortunate," Florence Colburn, who has two children at the school, said. "I don’t think there was any choice left.“
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