A gay third-grade teacher says he was fired from his job at a Catholic elementary school in Long Island after someone had sent the local diocese photos of him kissing his boyfriend.
Michael Califano, 26, learned of his termination from Maria Regina School in Seaford, New York, Wednesday, after being told that he had violated diocese guidelines related to “living a Catholic lifestyle,” News 12 Long Island reported.
“Somebody had sent in some pictures of my boyfriend and I, and it escalated from there,” he told the outlet.
Califano said he does not feel that he had done anything wrong.
Califano has deep roots in the Maria Regina community: he has been a parishioner at the local church for years and had attended the school as a child, as did his late father, veteran Nassau County police officer Michael Califano, who was killed in a crash in 2011 when his son was just 13 years old.
The Califano family fundraises at the school each year for scholarships in the fallen cop’s name.
“I didn’t think this would happen in 2023, even in the Catholic church,” Califano said.
Many parents and students have come to Califano’s defense on social media and through a petition on Change.org demanding that he be reinstated.
The author of the online petition, which so far has drawn more than 2,650 signatures, praised Califano as “an immensely beloved, committed and diligent educator” whose ouster “not only affects Michael personally but it also deprives the community of a dedicated servant who consistently contributed to its enrichment.”
The petition goes on to say that the decision to fire Califano was based on a “malicious” anonymous email from someone who had gone “digging” for photos of Califano and his boyfriend on a social media account that was not even his own with the apparent intent of getting him fired.
Califano told Newsday that both the school and the diocese were aware that he was gay when they hired him two years ago, and no one ever raised questions about his sexuality until Rev. John O. Barres, the bishop of the diocese, received the email with the kissing pictures from his boyfriend’s Facebook page.
“They said they found things on that account that were inappropriate for a Catholic schoolteacher,” said Califano. “There’s nothing vulgar on that account.”
Mary Ann Hasbrouck, a retired teacher, slammed Califano’s firing as a “kind of a witch hunt.”
“This gentleman teaches at the school, he is beloved by all the students and parents, did a great job, goes above and beyond,” she said, adding that everyone was “blindsided” by the diocese’s decision to fire him.
Parent Toni Lichtenberger said Califano helped her daughter through her school anxiety when she was in his class last year.
Califano said that if he were told that he could have his job back, he would do so without any hesitation.
The Post reached out to the Diocese of Rockville Centre seeking comment on Califano’s firing.
Meanwhile, parents are planning to stage a rally in support of Califano in front of St. Agnes Cathedral later Friday.