Gay Teacher Responds To Homophobic Mom In The Best Way

Teachers not only have to deal with children who can sometimes be unruly but they also have to deal with some pretty crazy and ill-behaved parents.

And I bet those teachers would tell you that the parents are far worse than the children.

Michael Neri, the owner of Talking Props Theatre School in London, had to deal with one of these crazy and ill-behaved parents.

And the text exchange between him and this homophobic mom has gone viral.

People are giving the 26-year-old serious props for his killer clap back.

“I was a little shocked to receive the text,” Neri, of Birmingham, England, told Mic. “I felt a little bit, I suppose, disheartened by it and that the decision had been made solely on something that wasn’t about my professional capacity to teach.”

Neri says he created Talking Props Theatre School in September 2014 to offer a local theatre environment in Kidder Minster for children.

“As a child, if I’d had something like [Talking Props], I would’ve flourished more than I ever could’ve hoped for,” he said. “It’s a safe haven for people to be able to come, be creative and be around people in a supportive environment.”

Instead of lashing out, he took some time to respond to the homophobic woman’s text

Her message explained that she was taking her kids out of his school after finding out that Neri was gay.

“It was such a clever and witty response, and I’m not a witty person,” Neri said. “I’m not going to lie, it was brewing. I got the text early afternoon and it took me a good couple of hours to respond back.”

We’re not sure what’s worse, this woman’s bigotry or her stupidity.

Did she really think that she would find a theatre community that was completely free of gay people?

“I find that theatre without gays is like cooking without spices,” Neri wrote in his text response.

Here’s what her text said:

“Hi Michael. Following our chat this week I have decided that __ and __ will not be attending class on Monday. You have a strong reputation for performing arts which encouraged me to sign my children up for classes. I have recently learned of your lifestyle and as a Christian, I cannot allow my children to be influenced by unconventional to be influenced by unconventional ideas. It is our belief that a man should marry a woman. I look forward to receiving my deposit which you may post me via cheque. Regards ___.”

Neri told Mic that there are plenty of Christians and Muslims who are well aware of his lifestyle and have no objection to him teaching their children.

He believes this mother is in the minority of Christians who are hateful.

And he himself is a Christian. Neri said he was shocked that his response went viral and had the sense to block out her name as well as her children’s name.

Talking Props Performing Arts Studios
Source:

Talking Props Performing Arts Studios

He tried to contact her after the text went viral but she hasn’t answered back.

“I’ve had messages from teachers in similar situations and it’s been humbling to have that,” Neri said. “I take a positive from all this, not a negative. I’m taking the love and everything that’s coming from it, not the initial text I got from the lady.”