Teacher Al Fischer married his partner
Charlie Robin in New York City on Friday, despite losing two jobs
over the nuptials, The
New York Times reported.
Fischer and Robin were married in
Central Park before a crowd of about 40 friends and strangers.
Fischer was let go of his job as music
teacher at St. Ann Catholic School outside of St. Louis on February
17, two days after an official from the Archdiocese of St. Louis
learned of his plans to marry his partner of 19 years.
Two weeks later, he was fired from his
part-time job as music director for the Roman Catholic church which
he and Robin attended.
“I didn't expect any of this,”
Fischer told the Times. “I didn't understand it would be,
'click, you're done,' but it was.”
“There's nothing that's been hidden
about our relationship at any point,” Robin told the St. Louis
Post-Dispatch. “I go to the staff parties. I show up at the
school concerts. … It doesn't matter until somebody with the
Archdiocese is sitting in the room.”
The Archdiocese of St. Louis said in a
statement that Fischer was fired for publicly announcing his plans.
“When he publicly demonstrated a life
inconsistent with Catholic teaching, Al Fischer was relieved of his
duties as part-time choir director at St. Rose Philippine Duchesne
Parish and as music teacher at St. Ann Parish School.”
Earlier
this year, a Charlotte, North Carolina Catholic church fired its
openly gay music director after he married his longtime partner in
New York.