A SCOTS private school teacher faces being struck off after slamming Ruth Davidson for having a “fatherless child”.
Richard Lucas, a former physics teacher at £35,000-per-year Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh, made the comments on a video he posted to his YouTube channel.
Mr Lucas is now being investigated by the General Teaching Council for Scotland for his April 2018 video titled “Ruth Davidson and the fatherless children”.
Mr Lucas captioned the 15-minute-clip: “Ruth Davidson wishes to normalise the production of fatherless children, does not value marriage, and follows the ABM childcare philosophy.”
In the video, the physics teacher blasts the Conservative MSP for having a child saying: “They haven’t produced this baby together, this baby is the product of Ruth Davidson and a gentleman whose identity is a mystery to us.
“The important issue here is that this is the deliberate production of a fatherless child.”
He also says: “There is cause to be concerned about same sex marriage.”
Mr Lucas made reference to statistics published by American sociologist Mark Regenerus, he said: “The statistics always show worse outcomes for children from lesbian and gay parented households.
“But then the statistical jiggery pokery kicks in and by controlling for one thing or another eventually you can make those effects disappear and claim that the children turn out just as well.
“There’s good reason to think that there are problems associated with/correlated with same sex parenthood.”
Mr Lucas resigned from the Edinburgh school in 2018 and now faces being removed from the teaching register altogether following a complaint by a parent.
The GTCS charges read: “The meaning and effect of these statements in the 2018 video, is that homosexuality is undesirable as it causes physical and mental health problems.
“That same sex parenting is inferior to, and is of less value, than heterosexual parenting and should be discouraged as it is harmful to children.
The charges continue: “Such statements are offensive and/or communicate intolerance, prejudice, discriminatory and/or, are potentially discriminatory.
“…as a reasonable and properly informed member of the public, having regard to the content of your statements, would conclude that you were intolerant of and prejudiced against same sex parents and would discriminate against them and their children in the course of your duties as a teacher.”
Speaking today to the panel, Mr Lucas said: “I admit to making the comments – I do not think that I am unfit to teach.”
Mr Lucas also took to his Facebook page on Saturday to defend his actions.
He said: “I still hold the views expressed in the “offending” video and I will continue to articulate these views regularly and publicly as I see fit.
“Whatever the outcome, I will immediately restate my views publicly and explicitly reject the right of GTCS to restrict my freedom of speech in this way.”
A spokeswoman for Merchiston Castle today said: “While proceedings with GTCS are ongoing, the School is not able to make any comment.”
The hearing continues.
