Call To Action ask for International Support

Call To Action ask for International Support for fired gay teacher from Chicago, USA

 

A note from Don Pribor, Church Worker Justice Organizer.

Call To Action is a member of the Equally Blessed Coalition, a group of Catholic organizations who support the full inclusion of LGBTQ Catholics in the life of the church.

Matt Tedeschi is a former religion and French teacher at St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago who alleges he was fired because of his sexual orientation.

Robert Shine of New Ways Ministry (another Equally Blessed Coalition partner) has written about Matt’s firing here and it has also been covered in local Chicago newspapers

Call To Action supports Matt and the students and alumni of St. Ignatius who are calling for SICP to be faithful to the school’s commitment to be a community that works for social justice. St.Ignatius should not tolerate a culture of harassment of LGBTQ teachers but should teach its students the importance of respect for each and every human being, a fundamental tenet of Jesuit education.

rally was held in Chicago on Saturday, June 24 in support of these goals:

1.  LGBTQ student and alumni groups should be allowed to openly publicize at St. Ignatius College Prep
2. The non-discrimination policy must be amended and upheld
3. An impartial ombudsman with meaningful authority must be available at meetings and proceedings that involve employee discipline or termination
4. There must be a review panel that decides all cases of employee termination
5. Teachers must have more influence in drafting/ implementing and evaluating school policies that affect them; and
6. Teachers must be allowed to organize and form a labor union.

To voice your concerns and encourage the school to adopt more open and just policies, the President of St. Ignatius College Prep can be reached here:

Fr. Michael Caruso, SJ
President
St. Ignatius College Prep
1076 W. Roosevelt Rd.
Chicago, IL 60608
michael.caruso@ignatius.org

A possible email could be :

Dear Fr. Caruso,

I am writing you to express my concern about the circumstances of the firing of Matt Tedeschi, who was a religion and French teacher at your school.
I urge you to develop a policy of zero harassment of LGBTQ teachers, staff and students and to implement programs that teach your students respect for LGBTQ
people. I encourage you to follow Pope Francis’ lead in witnessing to the mercy and compassion that God has for all of God’s children.

Sincerely,

 

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