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The courts must stay out of Charlotte Catholic High School’s decision to fire a beloved theater teacher for being gay and posting about his engagement on Facebook, according to a 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling Wednesday. A panel of three judges reversed U.S. District Judge Max Cogburn’s 2021 decision that the school violated a federal ban on sex discrimination in the workplace when the school fired Lonnie Billard. In 2014, Billard had retired from 10 years as a CCHS theater teacher but was still a substitute teacher. On Oct. 25, 2014, two weeks after the federal courts struck down North Carolina’s ban on same-sex marriage, he posted about his plans to marry his longtime partner: “Yes, I’m finally going to make an honest (at least legal) man out of Rich (Donham),” he wrote on Facebook. “I thank all the courageous people who had more guts than I who refused to back down and accept anything but ‘equal.’” Two months later, on Christmas, Billard learned he’d been fired. Then, he filed suit. Read Next ‘I did nothing wrong.’ Gay teacher who lost job at Charlotte Catholic High wins lawsuit September 04, 2021 12:35 PM The 2017 case was […]