A Florida-based teacher who was fired after his past work as a gay adult film star was revealed will be allowed to return to the classroom.
As LA Weekly is reporting, Shawn Loftis, who directed and acted in a series of gay porn films under the name Collin O'Neal, will not only be permitted to teach, but will also be eligible to apply for a permanent position as an educator. He will, however, reportedly remain on probation for two years.
Loftis, who had been working as a substitute teacher at numerous Miami area schools when he was dismissed last year after a principal discovered his films on a website, praised the Florida Education Practices Commission's decision to overrule his termination. "This is my past and I left it behind," he told LA Weekly, noting that his work as a porn actor and director was not illegal. "I can use my experiences in life to teach kids. The key point is that they said when you go back to the classroom and a student brings this up to you, you will be able to handle that. I thought that was highly progressive of them."
The 36-year-old is a graduate of Florida International University, where he studied international relations with a focus on the Middle East, according to the Toronto Sun. In addition to his teaching endeavors, Loftis also worked as a citizen reporter for CNN iReport (see video above).
Loftis' case mirrors that of Kevin Hogan, a Boston-based English teacher who was placed on administrative leave after Fox News broke the news that he had acted under the pseudonym "Hytch Cawke" in gay pornographic movies like "Fetish World" and "Just Gone Gay 8," which were released in 2010. In addition, a California junior high teacher was reportedly placed on paid administrative leave earlier this month amid allegations that she appeared in a pornographic video, the Associated Press reports.
Take a look at some other employees who were fired for being LGBT below:
Before You Go
