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Eric Beauchemin's picture

Gay teacher fights dismissal by Christian school

Published on : 3 October 2011 - 1:00pm | By Eric Beauchemin (Screenshot: Nieuwsuur)
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A reformed Protestant church school has fired a teacher because he came out of the closet. The teacher, Duran Renkema, who was married, began a relationship with a man last year.

Renkema has decided to fight the school's decision. It's the first time that a teacher who was fired because of his sexuality has submitted his case to the Dutch Equal Treatment Commission. Under Dutch law, schools cannot fire teachers purely on the grounds of their sexuality or because they live with someone of the same sex. It is possible if there are other exceptional circumstances involved, but the law doesn't mention which ones.

The Dutch LGBT organisation, the COC, has called on the authorities to clarify the existing law. The opposition Labour Party has submitted a bill in parliament which has the support of one of the ruling parties, the liberal VVD. But the SGP, a small fundamentalist Christian party, opposes the bill. The Netherlands' minority coalition government needs the support of the SGP for a majority in the upper house, the Senate.

 

Discussion

Anonymous 2 November 2011 - 6:10pm / Netherlands

Schools should be free of religious beliefs. Beliefs are to the churches.
To Cesar what is Cesar’s. To God what is God’s.

Jeroen van grave 5 October 2011 - 5:25pm / The Netherlands, Amsterdam

A Christian school is based on a christian lifestyle and the bible is pretty clear about practical homoseksuality and adultery, so if the school really has a christian identity they have to fire him.

Anonymous 8 October 2011 - 5:59pm

Was it in his job's contract or staff rules ? It's right about the christian bible but it's not right about "firing a person" because of the homo-identity unless that's in his job's contract (regulations). If that's not in the regulations, they either start drafting one and proceed the rule accordingly, not immediately to fire him. They shouldn't combine both together as one : church rule and employee's rule.

Sam G 5 October 2011 - 10:08am / USA

The Netherlands, as usual, is way ahead of the USA on this one. A person's sexual orentation is nobody's business. What kind of Christian school
would forbid love between two persons?

Vera Gottlieb 4 October 2011 - 6:00pm / Germany

Enough already with all this hypocrisy! Besides, it is none of the church's business or anybody else.

david Raphaël 4 October 2011 - 3:34am / Barranquilla

The Bible doesn't forbids homosexuality on the contrary fosters intimate friendships between males

Anonymous 3 October 2011 - 2:40pm / Cuba

The school is Right, and government shall not intervine, school are to form children with correct values, and if the bible is until now the best of the text values in it homosexuality is prohibe.
So hsociety sahll deside or follow the values of bible, or trough it in the bomfire.
So don't tall more the your god is better than my, or that the whole world shall be Christian, or Musulman, or whatever the relligion and the proclam that the whole world shall be homosexual, perhaps in this way we final arrive to the extintion.

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