A gay proposal at Disneyland has led to teacher resignations and angry student protests at a Catholic high school near Seattle, Washington.
English teacher Paul Danforth and his partner Sean Nyberg got engaged at Disneyland in November, and Danforth resigned soon after from Kennedy Catholic High School in Burien, Washington.
Soccer coach Michelle Beattie also got engaged to her same-sex partner and resigned.
The school says that they both voluntarily resigned, but Nyberg claims otherwise.
Nyberg said that Danforth was "no longer employed specifically because he and I got engaged," according to a statement he gave to CBS News.
DEVESTATED! On Nov 1st I proposed to my partner in @Disneyland ... three months later he was forced to resign his j… https://t.co/OEFOhkF895— SeanNyberg (@SeanNyberg)1581878858.0
"This is not only personally painful, it also harms former students who looked up to them," he added.
Students who are supportive of the gay teachers staged a sit-in and walked out in protest on Tuesday.
A crowd is gathering at Kennedy Catholic High School. Students are expected to walk out in protest after they say t… https://t.co/YVEWETXX75— Natalie Swaby (@Natalie Swaby)1582058151.0
Another protest was planned against the Archdiocese of Seattle, which had not yet commented on the matter.
Family Policy Institute of Washington executive director Mark Miloscia defended the school.
"Especially what we believe is a constitutional right to hire the teachers and employees to go teach their children the beliefs and practices that are dear to their faith," Miloscia said.
Both of the gay teachers have hired an attorney, but CBS News noted that it was unclear what legal action they could take against the school or the archdiocese.
