Diana Medley, the special education
teacher who said gays have no purpose, has been placed on
administrative leave.
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.”
Northeast School Corporation
Superintendent Mark A. Baker, who has previously defended Medley's
right to free speech, said
in a statement that the “employee at the center of this
concern” has been placed on administrative leave “in response to
our concerns for the safety and security of everyone in our
buildings.”
Baker added that the district has
“conveyed our disappointment and our disagreement with these
statements and have emphasized her comments do not reflect our
schools' views or opinions.”