Stacy Bailey was no stranger to being in the local spotlight in Arlington, Texas, because she’d previously been named “Teacher of the Year” at Charlotte Anderson Elementary School twice.
But Bailey found herself in the middle of a controversy when parents of kids at the school complained to the school district after the teacher, who is a lesbian, showed a photo to the students and told the kids that the other woman in the photo was “her future wife.”
One parent complained that Bailey had a “homosexual agenda”…whatever the hell that means.
Bailey answered this way:
“When a straight teacher happily announces that she and her husband are expecting a baby to her elementary class, is she saying something inappropriate to very young and impressionable students?
Is she announcing her sexual orientation? Is she presenting her life in a way that promotes her political beliefs?
Of course not. She’s simply sharing facts about her life.”
In September 2017, Bailey was suspended by the school district for eight months and was then relocated to a high school.
Bailey decided to sue for discrimination.
The case was heard at the Northern District of Texas federal court in Dallas and she recently received a settlement of $100,000 from the district.
Bailey said,
“If you are a school district that thinks you can bully a gay teacher out of their job, I hope you remember my name and I hope you think twice.”
Bailey is married to the woman in the photo that caused all the uproar and said she will donate $10,000 of her settlement money to a charity that helps LGBTQ students.
Not that’s a story with a happy ending!
