Teacher Resigns After Writing That Homosexuals “Deserve To Die” In Letter To School Paper

San Luis Obispo educator Michael Stack has reportedly received death threats for his religious rant
From: NewNowNext

 A California teacher has resigned following backlash to an anti-gay letter he wrote to his school’s student newspaper, the San Luis Obispo Tribune reports.

While still employed as a special education teacher at San Luis Obispo High School, Michael Stack wrote the letter in response to the May issue of the school paper, Expressions, which focused on LGBT topics and featured two women kissing on the cover.

 In his letter to the editor, which newspaper staffers decided to publish, Stack cited a Biblical passage stating that those who commit homosexual acts “deserve to die.” He also described homosexuality as “a deception that has happened in the past, and is happening again right now, not only at SLOHS, but throughout the world.”

While some community members supported Stack’s right to share his personal views outside the classroom, many others criticized him for inappropriately expressing his religious beliefs at the public high school. About 60 people, including students and parents, held a protest at the school.

 Prior to Stack’s resignation, school officials initially announced that they would not be disciplining him because teachers and students “do not shed their First Amendment rights” at school. They called the controversy “a teachable moment” and encouraged the community to conduct a “civil discourse.”

In his resignation letter, Stack also defended his right to free speech, explaining, “I exercised my First Amendment rights and submitted my opinion to a public forum.” He added, however, that “the community apparently wants me out, so I hereby grant them their desires.”

“I’m very strong in what I believe and in who I am, but for others still trying to find themselves, I feel like something like this will be really damaging,” says Amber Ernst, 16-year-old co-president of the school’s Gay Straight Alliance. “It’s heartbreaking for them to see a teacher essentially say they’re going to hell.”

According to San Luis Coastal Unified School District Superintendent Eric Prater, someone allegedly called the school and threatened Stack’s life. “We are concerned for his safety,” Prater says.