Cynthia Davis, Gay Arizona High School Principal, Speaks Out About Termination And Allegations

A beloved Arizona high school principal whose contract was not renewed allegedly because she was gay is speaking out for the first time.

"I have been involved in alternative sexual lifestyles, currently am not," Cynthia Davis now tells Arizona's 12News. "But to me, that is not what makes a person."

Davis, who said she has lived alone since 2005 and has kept her personal and professional lives separate, also told the news channel that rumors she was involved with a female staff member had previously circulated throughout the school. "I thought as a country and as a community, we had gone by those things and that you judge people for who they are, and what they believe in and how they treat one another," she noted. "I guess that I was a bit naive, and that appears not to be the case."

Also interviewed was Shelly Hickerson, who came forward last week with a letter she had written to the district administration, including Superintendent James Lee, on March 11. Though the letter praises Davis' work, Hickerson also notes that a governing-board member "… told me she was concerned about [Davis’] lifestyle," according to the Tuscon Citizen.

The Paradise Valley School District board's 5-0 decision to let Davis go when her contract expires June 8 caused chaos amongst parents and colleagues. As My Fox Phoenix reported, things eventually got so heated that local police had to escort board members to their cars.

Take a look at other employees who were allegedly dismissed because they were LGBT below: