“[T]he Mother Teresa of teachers”¹, Jocelyn Morffi, was fired on February 8 from her position as first grade teacher at Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic school in Miami Florida because she violated a contract stipulating that teachers must abide by Catholic teachings and traditions. She had several days before married her girlfriend, Natasha Hass. The story was covered by the Washington Post, CBS news, the New York Times, the Miami Herald, NBC news, Time magazine, the Washington Times, among other news outlets.

I know a person who was terminated as a grade school teacher at a Catholic school because of a contract violation stipulating that teachers must abide by Catholic teachings and traditions. However, the person I know is heterosexual. There was no news coverage of the event.

Why was the situation at Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic school in Miami Florida different from my friend’s? Both violated similar sections of their contracts. Was one more unjustly treated than the other? Why is the situation in Florida news? Should journalists be moral crusaders?

¹Samantha Mills –  parent in Jocelyn Morffi’s first grade class.