Are Teacher's Antigay Comments on Facebook Private?

A high school's "teacher of the year" has been suspended while a Florida school board investigates antigay comments he made on Facebook.

"It wasn't out of hatred," said social studies teacher Jerry Buell of the Facebook posts during an interview with the Orlando Sentinel. "It was about the way I interpret things."

Buell's interpretation of marriage equality in New York left him having to "almost throw up." Same-sex marriages, he said, were a "cesspool."

The Sentinel reports that critics are concerned the Mount Dora High School teacher has made gay students feel unwelcome in his classroom. But others argue his comments were private, never intended for public consumption.

Local TV station WESH reports that a former student saw the remarks on Facebook and brought them to the attention of school authorities.