A former Miami-Dade schools teacher who says he was fired because of his past in gay porn is taking his case on the road.
Shawn Loftis appeared on the nationally televised Dr. Drew show Monday night after the American Civil Liberties Union declined to argue that the dismissal violated his civil rights.
"Your case would be stronger if your job did not involve supervising children. It's clear that you had a career in pornography," wrote the ACLU, calling it "a difficult hurdle in view of the state's role to protect children."
"I really don't understand the issue," Loftis told host Dr. Drew Pinsky. "It seems like they're equating somebody from the adult industry as a child molestor."
Loftis says he performed in adult videos under the alias 'Collin O'Neal" before moving behind the camera and running his own porn production company.
But eventually, he decided to switch gears altogether. Armed with a degree from FIU in Middle Eastern Studies and a masters from UM in Public Administration, he became qualified by the school system and started substitute teaching in schools around Miami Beach.
"I walked into that classroom and I left my past behind," he told Pinsky. "I went in there as a teacher, and was I ever going to bring any of this into the classroom? No way."
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Loftis says the school board was tipped off to his past -- which remains readily accessible on the Internet -- and he was dismissed on grounds he violated the school board's so-called morality clause. The clause states teachers "are expected to conduct themselves both in their employment and in the community in a manner that will reflect credit upon themselves and the school system."
"From what I read of the morality clause, it was 'as a teacher,'" he said. "Not 'we can bring something from your past and bring it against you in your current role as a teacher'."
Parents in the school district seem split on the issue.
"I don't know how I feel about him teaching my children, I'm not sure," said a mother inverviewed in footage obtained by CNN. "Honestly, it's a bit concerning."
"This is Miami Beach," said another. "If that was [the standard] for every occupation there would be a lot of people out of work in this city."
A school board spokesman did not respond to request for comment Tuesday night.
