Kentucky’s 2022 teacher of the year resigns over anti-gay discrimination – The Hill
The story at a glance
- Carver said his move to the University of Kentucky gave him the place where he could “make the most difference in the lives of the next generation.”
- “I also increasingly find that as a queer person in K-12 education, I have been unable to do this work without facing discrimination, heartache and doing part of systems that cause harm,” he said.
Kentucky’s 2022 Teacher of the Year, Willie Carver Jr., is quitting his K-12 job for a college job, citing anti-gay discrimination.
Carver, who spent 17 years teaching K-12 students, will take on a new role in student support services at the University of Kentucky.
“It was not an easy decision; I have cried several times trying to do this over the past few months. But at the end of the day, I’ve always wanted to be where I can make the biggest difference in the lives of the next generation. I believe the UK is the place where I can do that,” Carver said in a Facebook post viewed by the Lexington Herald frontman.
“I also increasingly find that as a queer person in K-12 education, I have been unable to do this work without facing discrimination, heartache and being part of systems that cause harm, though I am immensely proud of my brilliant, hardworking and fierce colleagues who changed and continue to change this system to stand up for students,” Carver added.
Carver, who testified before Congress in May that he “still faced discrimination as a gay teacher,” told the outlet he was transitioning because of vocal discrimination at school board meetings. .
“National rhetoric has ramped up and LGBTQ teachers bear the brunt of a lot of hate that catalyzes vitriol. It is tiring,” he said, adding that he had not received adequate support from the administration.
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“Mr. Carver is a wonderful English and French teacher,” Montgomery County Superintendent Matthew Thompson told Changing America. “We wish him well in his new endeavor,” Thompson said.
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Posted on June 23, 2022