A Rancho Cucamonga man who taught 17 years at a Catholic high school was fired from his job days after he married his gay partner in a San Bernardino civil ceremony.<\/p>\n
While school representatives declined comment on the matter, an attorney representing 45-year-old Ken Bencomo says he was fired because of the same-sex ceremony.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reason given was that the marriage occurred and the school\u2019s position was that it violated church teachings,\u201d said Chatsworth attorney Patrick McGarrigle.<\/p>\n
Bencomo, 45, was head of the English department at St. Lucy\u2019s Priory High School in Glendora, but also worked as a yearbook moderator and dance coach.<\/p>\n
Students say they were aware of Bencomo\u2019s sexual orientation.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe never talkedbout his personal life to his students, but it\u2019s something that students and faculty knew,\u201d said former student, Abigail O\u2019Brien, 19, of Upland.<\/p>\n
McGarrigle also said the school was aware long before he got married.<\/p>\n
\u201cSt. Lucy\u2019s has known of Mr. Bencomo\u2019s orientation for years,\u201d he said. \u201cAdministrators had been introduced to his partner in the past, so the suggestion that Ken\u2019s orientation is a surprise or that his lifestyle somehow violated doctrine is at odds with the school\u2019s knowlege and what seemed to be acceptance of him until most recently.\u201d<\/p>\n
In an online petition protesting Bencomo\u2019s termination, supporters of the former teacher say a July 2 article in the Daily Bulletin prompted the school to dismiss him. Bencomo and his husband Christopher Persky, 32, of Rancho Cucamonga were one of the first gay couples to line up at the San Bernardino County Assessor-Recorder\u2019s Office to get married July 1 following a Supreme Court decision allowing same-sex marriage.<\/p>\n
He appeared in photographs and video for the story.<\/p>\n
Sister Helen Dziuk, assistant principal at St. Lucy\u2019s, declined comment and referred inquiries to the school\u2019s attorney, Joseph Stark.<\/p>\n
St. Lucy\u2019s officials later issued a written statement, saying the school plans to continue educating students \u201cin the tradition of the Catholic faith.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a Benedictine school, St. Lucy\u2019s is a community for those who wish to express Christian values in education and develop person and academic excellence,\u201d the statement said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Read more.\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Details:\u00a0 A Rancho Cucamonga man who taught 17 years at a Catholic high school was fired from his job days after he married his gay partner in a San Bernardino civil ceremony. While school representatives declined comment on the matter, an attorney representing 45-year-old Ken Bencomo says he was fired because of the same-sex ceremony. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[378,27,45],"tags":[181,376],"class_list":["post-25081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gay-rights","category-marriage","category-ripped-from-the-headlines","tag-california","tag-gay-marriage"],"yoast_head":"\n
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