Dive Brief:

• Wilson High School in Tacoma, WA, fired social studies teacher Jim Gaylord in 1972 after he admitted to being gay, and the school board is now apologizing for that action.  
• For 42 years, Gaylord's firing never had closure. The well-liked and effective teacher countered his firing with an unsuccessful lawsuit that made its way up to the state's Supreme Court. 
• Since Gaylord's experience, activists in Washington state have been pushing for laws protecting teachers from instances like this — and in 2006, an anti-discrimination law was finally passed.  

Dive Insight:

While some may say the board's apology is too little too late, we can still acknowledge how it reflects the changing times and our trajectory towards acceptance.  

The apology is also seen as a learning opportunity for students. “We want the young people in attendance to see that history wasn’t made in the LGBT community only at Stonewall in NYC or in Congress where laws were passed. It actually happens here in our community," Seth Kirby the Executive Director of Oasis Youth Center said.

Kirby was instrumental in the school board apology happening. Having heard about Gaylord's story, he reached out to members of the school board to see if they would be interested in publicly apologizing.