Diana Medley, the special education
teacher who said gays have no purpose, won't face disciplinary
action.
Medley created a firestorm of
controversy when she argued in favor of a gay-free prom at Sullivan
High School in Sullivan, Indiana, saying that being gay is a choice.
“We don't agree with it and it's
offensive to us,” Medley told NBC
affiliate WTWO.
“I believe that it was life
circumstances and they chose to be that way; God created everyone
equal.”
“Homosexual students come to me with
their problems, and I don't agree with them, but I care about them,”
she added. “It's the same thing with my special needs kids. I
think God puts everyone in our lives for a reason.”
When asked if the same goes for gays,
Medley answered: “No I honestly don't [think they have a purpose in
life]. Sorry, but I don't. I don't understand it. A gay person
isn't going to come up and make some change unless it's to realize
that it was a choice and they're choosing God.”
More than 15,000 people joined a
Change.org
petition calling for the school district to discipline Medley.
Instead, Northeast School Corporation
Superintendent Mark A. Baker released a statement defending Medley's
right to free speech.
“I would like to clearly state the
Northeast School Corporation has never denied any student the right
to attend prom or any other Northeast School Corporation sponsored
event due to their race, gender, or sexual orientation,” Baker
wrote.
“In regards to the story that WTWO
aired on February 10, 2013, the Northeast School Corporation employee
that was interviewed was expressing her First Amendment rights. The
views expressed are not the views of the Northeast School Corporation
and/or the Board of Education.”
“These comments were expressed during
a Sunday community meeting at a local church and at no time was she
representing the Northeast School Corporation. The teacher was
participating in a meeting with her local church congregation.”