An openly gay middle school teacher in Missouri resigned after parents accused him of teaching his students to be gay.
To indicate his classroom was a safe space for all students—regardless of gender identity, nationality, or sexual preference—Neosho Junior High School teacher John Wallis had put up a welcoming sign.
It read:
"In this classroom everyone is welcome."
In addition to the sign, Wallis displayed an LGBTQ+ pride flag on the bookshelf. The school administration advised against Wallis doing either, but he did both anyway.
Homophobic parents who found out complained about Wallis to the superintendent of the district.
The teacher was handed a letter to sign stating he would remove both, the LGBTQ+ flag and the welcome sign, or face termination.
"They asked me to sign a letter saying I would not discuss my sexual orientation," he told the Kansas City Star, adding, "In other words, that I would hide who I am."
So instead of removing the requested items, he handed in a letter of resignation the following morning.
He took to Twitter and detailed the sequence of events that led to him stepping down instead of remaining and being forced to hide his identity.
Now that everything is officially over, I can share some news;\n\nI am no longer a teacher with Neosho\u2026\n\n1/— John M. Wallis (He/Him) (@John M. Wallis (He/Him)) 1630807705
At the beginning of the school year, I had two signs above my whiteboards that read "In This Classroom EVERYONE is Welcome" and an LGBTQ+ pride flag on my bookshelf.\n\n2/— John M. Wallis (He/Him) (@John M. Wallis (He/Him)) 1630807772
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.\n\n3/— John M. Wallis (He/Him) (@John M. Wallis (He/Him)) 1630807816
This of course prompted students to ask why, and I answered truthfully while expressing that, if students had a problem with who I was, there were other open classes. This led to three or more calls from parents accusing me of pushing my agenda in the classroom.\n\n5/— John M. Wallis (He/Him) (@John M. Wallis (He/Him)) 1630807916
I was then asked to sign a letter that stated I would not discuss human sexuality or my own personal sexuality in the classroom and could have no displays or coursework on those subjects. This action was the reason for my resignation.\n\n6/— John M. Wallis (He/Him) (@John M. Wallis (He/Him)) 1630807954
Let me be clear, I had every intention of staying with this district for years to come, but this was too much to handle. Indeed, it appears that there is a different set of rules if you are an LGBTQ+ educator.\n\n7/— John M. Wallis (He/Him) (@John M. Wallis (He/Him)) 1630808012
Neosho has no mention of gender identity or sexual orientation in their non-discrimination policy, and that is disconcerting enough. Couple that with a policy banning anything that expresses part of me in the classroom, and it makes for a hostile work environment. \n\n8/— John M. Wallis (He/Him) (@John M. Wallis (He/Him)) 1630808047
Wallis continued:
"This experience has helped me realize that this is clearly not a place for me," he continued, and he expressed his disappointment to two unnamed individuals he has known for almost ten years "in a completely different light than before."
"My administrators chose to believe the bigotry of parents over their building's teacher."
"To say I am devastated is an understatement."
He concluded his thread by apologizing to his colleagues for "leaving so quickly and under these circumstances."
"To my students, I still love you and wish you the best with your new teacher."
"To the parents, I hope your children know just how special they are. Goodbye, Neosho."
He told the Kansas City Star he was initially bracing for backlash but was pleasantly surprised to receive an outpouring of love and support from most of the Neosho community.
"In some of my darkest moments, I have looked back at these to see the love that has been sent my way," he said.
"Thank you to the many people who have reached out across all my social media platforms to voice support and encouragement."
But he also had a message for his vocal detractors who lashed out against him on social media with "vitriol and hateful bile."
"To those of you who chose to lash out at me with hate, I want you to know that I forgive you," he told them.
"While I am not a member of an organized religion, I consider myself to be very spiritual. The God I know teaches me to love and accept people, even those who do wrong and speak in the manner you did to me."
"Please know that I am praying for you. I can only hope that you will see that I am a normal human being, capable of everything you are and deserving of every right you are even though I love differently."
It never ceases to amaze me how Christians are all about forcing people to live as they wish but they feel forced to do what they do not wish to do by the mere presence of someone different than themselves. Good luck with all things!— Jokie X Wilson (@Jokie X Wilson) 1631236039
Missouri representative Cyrstal Quade thanked Wallis on Twitter for his "dedication to our kids" and also urged the Missouri Nondiscrimination Act (MONA)—which would add sexual orientation and gender identity to Missouri's Human Rights Act—to be passed.
Missouri's Human Rights Act currently bans discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations for other protected categories, including race, sex, and national origin.
.@MrJWallis, thank you for your dedication to our kids. I am ashamed this happened and continues to happen in our state. You- and our kids- deserve better. #MOleg needs to be on the right side of history. MONA must become law and we must start putting ALL of our kids first.https://twitter.com/MrJWallis/status/1434337594201022469\u00a0\u2026— Crystal Quade (@Crystal Quade) 1630967866
Plenty of others expressed their support for Wallis.
I am so sorry to hear this, John. You are the kind of teacher I want for our children. And all children. Solidarity from Kansas City.— David J. Trowbridge (@David J. Trowbridge) 1630944989
Thank you for your courage.— Alfonso Correa (@Alfonso Correa) 1630965167
John, I am sure you are in a kind of shock right now but you will look back on this as an important turning point in your life. Teachers are needed everywhere and you will land in a much better place. You will be able to spread your wings and actualize. Best of luck!— Susan Gibson (@Susan Gibson) 1630979108
I'm sorry. I have no words. Only anger, frustration, disappointment, heartache, and the community loss your students have had with your departure.— Destiny Calling (@Destiny Calling) 1630968474
Having someone like you as a teacher would have been so impactful on me as a kid. I can\u2019t wait until you\u2019re teaching in an accepting environment where you can thrive— Kolb (@Kolb) 1630952209
I am so sorry that happened to you, but I applaud your strength in moving on. I hope you will find a district that will back your perfectly acceptable expressions of love and acceptance.— Unconcerned Parent (@Unconcerned Parent) 1630983206
As a fellow educator and LBGTQIA advocate, I am so sorry that you had to deal with this bigotry and hate. It both disgusts me and saddens me. I pray you find a district that welcomes you with open arms (as it should be).— Sara Atkins (@Sara Atkins) 1631021991
The Neosho School District issued the following statement regarding Wallis' departure.
"As per all personnel matters, there is a limited amount of information that is allowed to be shared by the school district."
"In regards to inquiries regarding Mr. John Wallis, I can share that Mr. Wallis was hired on 8/13/21, and he submitted his resignation on September 1, 2021."
"Should you wish to view any of our personnel policies, they can be found at https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/Policy/PolicyListing.aspx?S=332 Sincerely, Dr. Jim R. Cummins Superintendent."
Wallis encouraged "Neosho and all other districts to seriously think about the phrase 'All means all' as it pertains to supporting students in public education."
He concluded his Kansas City Star guest commentary with:
"I can only hope that my story encourages others to share their experiences and that it leads to systemic changes everywhere."