A Missouri teacher has resigned after parents of kids at the school accused him of "teaching children to be gay".
John M. Wallis, who recently took up a job at Neosho Junior High School, was told to remove the Pride flag he had displayed in his classroom, per Daily Mail.
What's more, he was forbidden from discussing topics related to sexual identity with students.
Wallis also had a sign above his whiteboard that read: "In This Classroom EVERYONE Is Welcome."
In light of his resignation, the 22-year-old has taken to Twitter to explain the ordeal, and defended his decision to have LGBTQ+ friendly items in his classroom.
Discussing the sign and Pride flag, Wallis wrote: "This was an attempt to make my classroom more open and welcoming for all of my students, and nothing was ever taught about the flag because it stood there as a reflection of my classroom as a safe space for my LGBTQIA+ students.
"A parent called last week to complain that I was going to teach their child to be gay. I was then instructed to take my flag and signs down. In fact, the use of the pride flag in my classroom was compared to hanging the confederate flag in my classroom."
His students soon noticed that the sign and the flag were no longer present in the classroom, which prompted the children to ask why.
He answered his students truthfully and expressed that "if students had a problem with who [he] was, there were other open classes."
His response triggered calls from outraged parents, after which the school reportedly asked Wallis to sign an agreement that prohibited him from discussing human sexuality, or his own sexuality with the class.
What's more, the agreement would mean he couldn't have any displays in the classroom relating to this.
Part of the so-called agreement read, per The Hill: "Our classrooms cannot become a personal platform for pushing one’s personal agenda. Your position in the Neosho School District is to teach speech and drama classes."
"If you are unable to present the curriculum in a manner that keeps your personal agenda on sexuality out of your narrative and the classroom discussions, we will ultimately terminate your employment," the agreement added.
After receiving the agreement to sign, Wallis decided to resign instead.
He then took to Twitter to explain his reasoning, saying he had "every intention of staying with this district for years to come," but accused the district of having "a different set of rules" for LGBTQ+ teachers at the school.
He went on to accuse Neosho Junior High School of having "no mention of gender identity or sexual orientation in their non-discrimination policy."
