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Ohio School District Employee Causes Backlash After Anti-Gay Facebook Post

A Columbus City Schools employee who allegedly posted hateful comments about the Columbus Pride Parade and Festival could lose his job after a petition was circulated demanding his ouster, according to a report.  

The employee, 48-year-old Chris Dodds, is accused of making the comments on the Pride Festival event page. The message read “I hope this event turns out like the Boston Marathon a few year’s back,” followed by a gay slur and a request that parade participants “be killed or at least relocated.”

The Facebook post generated a massive backlash from the Columbus community. Nearly 50,000 people signed a Change.org petition calling for Dodds’ firing, and according to the Columbus Post-Dispatch, the school district is planning to fire him.

“We do not tolerate discrimination of any kind,” school district spokesman Scott Varner told the newspaper. “We are currently working toward Mr. Dodds’ termination.”

According to the Post-Dispatch, Columbus Police are looking into the post to evaluate whether it violated any laws. 

Dodds' attorney argued the post does not meet the standard for aggravated menacing under Ohio law, telling the Post-Disptach that Dodds was "spewing his vile opinion, which the Constitution protects."

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