INDIANAPOLIS -- A guidance counselor at Roncalli High School says she was sad and hurt that school administrators and the archdiocese gave her the option to resign or dissolve her marriage after they learned that she was married to a woman. Shelly Fitzgerald says she was asked to meet with school president Joe Hollowell and Principal Chuck Weisenbach last Friday.At that meeting, Fitzgerald says she was shown a copy of her marriage certificate. Hollowell said someone turned it into him and that he then had to turn it into the archbishop."I was hurt, sad, I was hurt," said Fitzgerald. "I've been there 15 years. I've been a part of a community that loves each other. I was stunned. Fitzgerald says she was given four options: to resign, dissolve her marriage or, "stay kind of quiet and hope that it would, you know, stay quiet until the end of the year and keeping my job as long as possible if it stayed out of the media and then they would not renew my contract the following … [Read more...] about Indiana guidance counselor speaks out after she says she was asked to resign over same-sex marriage
Marriage
Indiana guidance counselor says she was asked to resign after school learned of same-sex marriage
INDIANAPOLIS -- A guidance counselor at Roncalli High School in Indianapolis says she's been given a choice to resign or 'dissolve' her marriage after she claims school administrators were told that she is married to another woman.In a message posted to Facebook, Shelly Fitzgerald says that she has had to "hide her 22-year relationship" with someone who she loves and parents with.The post goes on to say: "Someone sought out my marriage certificate from Hancock County and turned it into Joe Hollowell (the school's chief administrator). He then turned it over to the Archbishop of Indianapolis, the superintendent and Chuck Weisenbach,"(Roncalli principal) Fitzgerald says she met with Hollowell and Weisenbach and was given three options: to resign, 'dissolve' her marriage, or, "wait it out and stay quiet and maybe I can make it the rest of the year, but they will not renew my contract next year 4."The guidance counselor says she has no intention of divorcing, quitting or, "not telling … [Read more...] about Indiana guidance counselor says she was asked to resign after school learned of same-sex marriage
Costa Rica Supreme Court strikes down same-sex marriage ban
The Supreme Court of Costa Rica on Thursday found the country’s ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional and discriminatory. This decision follows opinion [text, PDF, in Spanish] given just seven months ago by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights [official website] that same-sex couples have the same rights to marry as any opposite-sex couple.< The decision is a significant one for Costa Rica, a country where not only are the majority of people Catholic, but also where a high number of lawmakers who sit on the legislative assembly are evangelicals who openly oppose same-sex marriage. These lawmakers are a stark contrast to President Carlos Alvarado [profile], who won April’s presidential run-off on a platform vowing to defend same-sex rights. Alvarado beat out opponent, Fabricio Alvarado [profile], an evangelical pastor who vowed to defy the Human Rights Court’s rulings on same-sex rights. As a result of the ruling, lawmakers will have 18 … [Read more...] about Costa Rica Supreme Court strikes down same-sex marriage ban
Costa Rica: Supreme Court Declares Ban on Same-Sex Marriage Unconstitutional
The Costa Rican Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that legislation banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, citing a ruling last January from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Last January, the Inter-American Court established the obligation for the signatory states of the Inter-American Convention on Human Rights (IACHR)—an organ of the Organization of American States (OAS)—to take the necessary measures to allow homosexual marriage under the same conditions as marriages between a man and a woman.The January 8 decision, which set binding precedent in signatory countries, ruled that the 1969 American Convention on Human Rights mandates the legalization of same-sex marriage. The ruling applies to the countries of Barbados, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Suriname. In Wednesday’s ruling, the Costa Rican justices gave the country’s … [Read more...] about Costa Rica: Supreme Court Declares Ban on Same-Sex Marriage Unconstitutional
Costa Rica’s Supreme Court Orders End to Gay Marriage Ban Within 18 Months
World Costa Rica’s Supreme Court ruled this week that existing bans on same-sex marriage are unconstitutional and discriminatory, giving lawmakers 18 months to amend the law. Welcoming the decision, the Central American country’s President Carlos Alvarado posted to Twitter, saying: “We continue to deploy actions that guarantee no person will face discrimination for their sexual orientation or gender identity, and that the state's protection be given to all families under equal conditions.” Following the Wednesday night decision, Supreme Court judge Fernando Castillo said that any bans on gay marriage will end after a maximum period of 18 months, regardless of what legislators decide to do, the BBC reported. Lawmakers can, however, make the changes quicker if they choose to do so. A gay couple takes part in a demonstration of LGBTQ community members and activists in front of the Supreme Court of Justice, to demand constitutional magistrates to give a … [Read more...] about Costa Rica’s Supreme Court Orders End to Gay Marriage Ban Within 18 Months