“I didn’t want them to write my obituary”

In a conservative culture war on sex and gender, queer teachers and staff seek refuge from the frontlines.

For one school principal, her nightmares became a reality after rumors began circulating.

A self-described "later in life" lesbian who taught and oversaw students and staff in a rural part of the Southeast Valley for 13 years, she was in the process of divorcing her husband when staff and students began whispering about her sexuality.

She confirmed that teachers were spreading rumors while attending an association meeting and soon filed a complaint with the district’s human relations department.

Still, the rumors persisted. The district didn’t take action, even as parents began hearing the rumors and discussing them.

Eventually, an employee from human relations spoke with the principal, but only after a parent lodged an anonymous complaint. The parent accused the principal of having an affair with another female employee—an accusation she denied. The parent had never witnessed the alleged act. It was all based on rumors, according to audio and email records reviewed by LOOKOUT.

In what appeared to be a Joe McCarthy-style line of questioning, she was asked about her sexual orientation, her recent divorce, and her personal life…