The recent Supreme Court ruling that confirmed LGBTQ people cannot be fired based on their sexual orientation was met with joy by some families in Portland, Ore. These families had medically fragile, special needs children who were former students of Brett Bigham, a 2014 Oregon Teacher of the Year winner who was fired in 2015 because he is gay. With the Supreme Court's ruling, Bigham finally received an apology from the Multnomah Education Service District for the discriminatory firing. Yet, despite his awards, the numerous commendations from the families of students whom he taught and, now, the public apology, Bigham reports that he has essentially been "blacklisted" from the education community. He currently works as a substitute teacher for special education classes. Like the families who support him, Bigham notes, "I feel like everyone won except my students."
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