Skip to main content
Clear icon
64º

Brevard teacher fired for dating same sex reacts to Supreme Court protection of LGBTQ workers

Former teacher becomes activist following termination from Palm Bay school

PALM BAY, Fla. – Monica Toro-Lisciandro said she was fired from Covenant Christian School in Palm Bay last year when the school found out she was dating a woman and going to pride festivals.

Eight months later, the former musical theater teacher is celebrating the U.S. Supreme Court ruling making it illegal to fire workers because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

[READ MORE: Justices rule LGBT people protected from job discrimination | Central Florida LGBT community reacts to SCOTUS ruling]

Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote, “An employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender defies the laws.”

Toro-Lisciandro said despite the ruling, she would not want her old job back.

"There were just so many negative emotions and feelings tied to that," she said. "So I wouldn't want to go back and work there, but I do want to make sure that no one else experiences what I experienced."

Since she was fired, Toro-Lisciandro has supported proposed state legislation that, in addition to employment, also calls for prohibiting discrimination in housing and public accommodations.

In both October and on Tuesday, no one from Covenant Christian School agreed to be interviewed for News 6 stories.

On its website, the school says employment is "open to qualified individuals who are 'born-again' Christians of good character, without regard or reference to race, gender, national or ethnic origin, color, age, or disability."

The employment tab continues that all employees must conform, “with both the Church’s and school’s statements of faith and with all standards of ethical and moral integrity.”


About the Author
James Sparvero headshot

James joined News 6 in March 2016 as the Brevard County Reporter. His arrival was the realization of a three-year effort to return to the state where his career began. James is from Pittsburgh, PA and graduated from Penn State in 2009 with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.

Loading...

Recommended Videos