Utah teacher fired after homophone blog
Social media strategist lost job in Utah because school 'didn't want to be linked with homosexuality'
A social media strategist says he was fired by a language school in Utah for writing about homophones on the school's website.
Tim Torkildson, who is also a qualified language teacher, claims the owner of the Nomen Global Language Center said he did not want his school "to be associated with homosexuality" after reading a blog post about homophones – words that sound the same but have different meanings, such as 'pause' and 'paws'.
In a post titled 'The homophones got me!" Torkildson said the subject was one of the first to be addressed when teaching English as a second language and had "been taught and discussed with absolutely no controversy for well over a hundred years. Until now."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"I'm letting you go because I can't trust you," Clarke Woodger, the owner of the language centre, is alleged to have told him. "This blog about homophones was the last straw. Now our school is going to be associated with homosexuality."
Torkildson said he was aware the 'homo' prefix could be controversial, but said his explanation was straightforward and educational.The post has now been removed from the school's website.
Woodger has denied that his response had anything to do with homosexuality, telling the The Salt Lake Tribune that Torkildson had begun to "go off on tangents", which was confusing students. He also said the subject of homophones was "beyond the level of understanding" of most of the students at the language school.
He told the paper that "people at this level of English … may see the 'homo' side and think it has something to do with gay sex."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Why Man United finally lost patience with ten Hag
Talking Point After another loss United sacked ten Hag in hopes of success in the Champion's League
By The Week UK Published
-
Who are the markets backing in the US election?
Talking Point Speculators are piling in on the Trump trade. A Harris victory would come as a surprise
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: November 3, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
The power of Estonia’s same-sex marriage law
feature LGBTQ people hope the country will set an example for other European nations
By Rebekah Evans Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Chinese chips, the Pope in Africa and podcasting
podcast Is China losing the microchip war? What is the Vatican doing in South Sudan? And has the podcast tide turned?
By The Week Staff Published
-
Home Office worker accused of spiking mistress’s drink with abortion drug
Speed Read Darren Burke had failed to convince his girlfriend to terminate pregnancy
By The Week Staff Published
-
In hock to Moscow: exploring Germany’s woeful energy policy
Speed Read Don’t expect Berlin to wean itself off Russian gas any time soon
By The Week Staff Published
-
Were Covid restrictions dropped too soon?
Speed Read ‘Living with Covid’ is already proving problematic – just look at the travel chaos this week
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
The Week Unwrapped: Afghanistan, Florida and Northern Ireland
podcast Can the World Bank set the Taliban straight? Why is Florida saying ‘don’t say gay’? And what can we learn from the last trials of the Troubles?
By The Week Staff Published
-
Inclusive Britain: a new strategy for tackling racism in the UK
Speed Read Government has revealed action plan setting out 74 steps that ministers will take
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sandy Hook families vs. Remington: a small victory over the gunmakers
Speed Read Last week the families settled a lawsuit for $73m against the manufacturer
By The Week Staff Published