A gay man who taught English for 23 years at a Catholic high school in Ohio has been fired.

In reporting the firing, the Dayton Daily News did not identify the teacher. But a Change.org petition seeking his reinstatement identified him as Jim Zimmerman, who is married to another man.

Zimmerman taught at Archbishop Alter High School in Kettering, which is located outside Dayton. He will be allowed to finish the school year but his contract was not renewed.

The decision not to renew Zimmerman's contract has been linked to a complaint received by Archbishop Dennis Schnurr, the head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati, which oversees the school.

Speaking with the Dayton Daily News, Principal Lourdes Lambert said that she did not know the identity of the person who filed the complaint but it was not related to an incident involving Zimmerman and students at the school.

Nearly 11,500 people as of Thursday had signed Michael Ferguson's change.org petition calling for Zimmerman's reinstatement.

Ferguson, a student at Alter, said that Zimmerman “is a teacher who does not just teach the curriculum but also teaches important life lessons.”

Zimmerman's contract “was not renewed because of who he is married to: a man,” Ferguson wrote.

“[Zimmerman's sexuality] is seen as not right in the Church, but to take away someone's job for this reason is outrageous,” he added.

While the Roman Catholic Church views gay relationships as sinful, it has taken a stronger stand against gay couples who marry.

According to New Ways Ministry, a group that advocates on behalf of LGBT Catholics, roughly 90 church workers “have lost their jobs in LGBT-related employment disputes” since 2007. The first state to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry was Massachusetts in 2004.

(Related: Catholic minister says he was fired over liking a gay friend's wedding post on Facebook.)