Gay students not accepted where Mrs. Pence teaches
Karen Pence, the second lady of the United States, returned to teaching art this week, accepting a parttime position at a private Christian school that does not allow gay students and requires employees to affirm that marriage should only be between a man and a woman.
The website of the school, Immanuel Christian School, which enrolls kindergartners through eighthgraders at its campus in Springfield, Virginia, details its religious beliefs and expectations of both students and their parents, as well as those who wish to work there. The school’s employment application requires candidates to describe their faith in Jesus Christ, affirm they are a born-again Christian Pence and vow to adhere to specific standards in their personal and professional lives.
The eighth item on the application’s “Articles of Employment” outlines Immanuel Christian’s definition of marriage and stances on sexual identity.
“I understand that the term ‘marriage’ has only one meaning; the uniting of one man and one woman,” it reads, adding certain “moral misconduct” would be disqualifying, such as “heterosexual activity outside of marriage (e.g., premarital sex, cohabitation, extramarital sex), homosexual or lesbian sexual activity, polygamy, transgender identity, any other violation of the unique roles of male and female.”
It was not clear whether Karen Pence, who previously taught art at Immanuel Christian when her husband, Vice President Mike Pence, was a member of the House of Representatives, had to fill out an application. A spokeswoman for Karen Pence, whose office announced this week that she had accepted the job in December, did not answer a list of questions about her new job and her personal beliefs.
Unlike public schools, private schools can require students and employees to follow specific religious beliefs and adhere to certain behavior in their private lives. They are not restricted from teaching from religious texts and are not subject to employment discrimination laws.