US: Ex-vice principal promised job back if he ended his same-sex marriage

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A gay former vice principal at a Catholic school in the US state of Washington has released a video stating that he was told that he could keep his job if he got a divorce.

It’s claimed the president of the Eastside school, a private Catholic secondary school located in Sammamish, a suburb east of Seattle, told Mark Zmuda that he could keep his job if he divorced his husband of 5 months.

He was also urged to have a “commitment ceremony”.

In a 16-minute video interview conducted by one of his former students, Mr Zmuda said: “Apparently the fact that I have a same-sex partner and (am) having a same-sex marriage . . . they are against that.

“But I also thought another teaching they were against was divorce. I’m a little shocked that was even on the table to have me keep my job. They also offered for me to have a commitment ceremony if I were willing to get a divorce.”

Lawyers for Eastside school have rejected Mr Zmuda’s allegations. Several students at the school are campaigning to have him reinstated.