TACOMA — In 1972, Jim Gaylord was a social studies teacher at Tacoma’s Wilson High School.
He was 35, well regarded by students and colleagues and, in the parlance of the day, a confirmed bachelor.
One evening the Wilson vice principal appeared at the doorstep of Gaylord’s North End home. There had been talk at the school and the vice principal wanted to know: Was Gaylord a homosexual?
Gaylord decided he couldn’t live a lie anymore and confirmed the rumor.
Soon, he found himself fired. A long and ultimately unsuccessful court battle that went to the U.S. Supreme Court followed.