Fired for Love: New Orleans Music Teacher Speaks Out Against Homophobic Discrimination
A beloved music teacher from a Catholic school near New Orleans is refusing to stay silent after being terminated for being listed in an obituary as another man’s widower. Mark Richards, a long-serving educator, says it's high time the bullying and homophobic discrimination he’s faced is called out and stopped.
“It’s just time,” he declared boldly on the Talk Louisiana With Jim Engster radio show. “If I can make this easier for some young, gay educator to stand up, then I’ll absolutely do that. I’ve got nothing to lose. Let’s make some noise.”
Richards’ powerful remarks, aired on WRKF in Baton Rouge, shed more light on a controversial firing that’s now capturing global headlines. The incident started gaining momentum after his local community rallied behind him with petitions and public support.
Richards had taught at St. Francis Xavier School in Metairie, Louisiana since 2003—two years after starting a relationship with his future husband, John Messinger. The couple married and shared nine years together until Messinger died of a heart attack in 2023.
Like other staff, Richards signed a morality clause in his yearly contract that forbade same-sex marriages, “homosexual activity”, or anything else deemed contrary to Catholic teachings. But according to Richards, he was always open about being gay—and was hired anyway.
When his husband passed, Richards leaned on the supportive community at St. Francis. But recently, that peace shattered.
A disgruntled parent allegedly discovered Messinger’s obituary—published nearly two years earlier—and reported Richards to school and church officials, pointing to the line that listed him as Messinger’s husband. On June 25, Richards was notified that his contract would not be renewed, with the school accusing him of “lying” about his lifestyle on previous contract signings.
He was never told who filed the complaint and wasn’t allowed to see it. In response, Richards sent an email to the school community, detailing the situation. His supporters quickly launched a petition demanding the Archdiocese of New Orleans reconsider their decision, hailing Richards as a “beacon of kindness and understanding”.
As of Wednesday, the Change.org petition had gathered over 4,500 signatures. But despite the groundswell, school officials sent a mass email saying the “decision is final and will not be revisited.”
That response struck many as cold and unjust, especially when contrasted with past scandals. Not long ago, St. Francis’s former pastor, Andrew Taormina, lobbied Louisiana officials to release a priest convicted of child rape—a campaign supported by attorney and deacon VM Wheeler III, who himself was later convicted of molesting a child. That plea failed. The priest, Robert Melancon, died in prison. Wheeler later died while listed as a sex offender.
Melancon’s death in November 2018 came just three days after the archdiocese publicly listed clergy with credible sexual abuse allegations. Less than two years later, the Archdiocese of New Orleans filed for bankruptcy, which still hasn’t been resolved.
Against that backdrop, Richards now faces the loss of a career he’s poured his heart into. He admitted to Engster that he likely has limited legal recourse, since his contract had ended when the school declined renewal.
Engster referenced a Fourth Circuit court ruling that upheld the firing of a gay Catholic teacher in North Carolina, further underscoring the legal hurdles ahead.
Still, Richards hasn’t given up hope. He’s consulted an attorney and is considering ways to challenge the morality clause that ended his tenure at St. Francis.
“I don’t think it fits,” he said of the clause, expressing his hope to help end the kind of discrimination and bullying he endured growing up gay in the deeply conservative South.
Encouragingly, a Mississippi public school district has already invited him to apply for a music teaching position, noting their teacher shortage.
“I hope finding another job won’t be too hard,” Richards said. “I pray.”
Regardless of what comes next, he remains thankful for the outpouring of community support, even as he continues mourning his husband.
“I’m hanging in there,” he told Engster. “But every day is an adjustment.”
Description:
"A respected New Orleans-area Catholic school music teacher was fired after being listed as a widower in his husband's obituary. He’s now speaking out against homophobic discrimination, calling for an end to morality clause firings and inspiring change in education."