Teacher Fired After Her 'Hot' Selfie Was Posted Online | 22 Words

A teacher has filed a $3 million lawsuit against her school district after she was fired over a leaked selfie.

Here's what we know so far...

Lauren Miranda's nightmare began in 2019.

via: Facebook

 The then-twenty-five-year-old was suddenly and unexpectedly fired from Bellport Middle School in Long Island, New York, where she had worked as a math teacher.

She first became aware of the selfie when she received a text from a friend in another building.

via: Getty

 There was a "nude" photograph being circulated amongst the school kids, and they were all saying it was her.

Of course, this came as a major shock to Lauren...

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 Who was completely unaware of any nude photograph of her being in existence at all.

She just couldn't believe that the kids thought it was her.

via: Facebook

 Speaking to the Guardian, Lauren said: "I just thought it was impossible. I was almost offended that she thought it was a picture of me."

However, the rumors were confirmed to be true.

via: Getty

 Lauren was called to the principal's office, where he had the selfie displayed on his monitor screen.

As soon as she saw the photograph, it dawned on her.

via: Facebook

 Back in 2015, she had sent the picture to one and one person only: a male colleague she was dating, who also happened to work in the same district.

This was an act of revenge.

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 Safeline.org describes this particular brand of revenge as the act of sharing explicit or sexual images or videos without the consent of the person in the image.

It is actually considered as a criminal offense...

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 And forty-six states across the U.S. now have laws against it.

However, this was not taken into consideration in Lauren's situation...

via: Facebook

 And she was suspended immediately. The school board then voted to fire her several months after the original meeting.

School officials reportedly told Miranda she could no longer serve as a “role model" for students...

via: Facebook

 As the image was an "unwelcome distraction" and "not something students could unsee."

The news of Lauren's dismissal spread like wildfire...

And people were utterly outraged at the sheer injustice of her situation.

But, of course, this dismissal was certainly the most devastating for Lauren.

via: Facebook

 “I’ve never wanted to do anything else," she said of her dream of being a math teacher. “I was so proud of myself and so proud of everything that I’ve accomplished being twenty-five-years-old and about to be granted tenure - all of these milestones were ripped away from me because of a picture of my upper body."

However, Lauren decided to fight back.

via: Facebook

 She went on to sue the school district for gender discrimination on the grounds that a male teacher would not have been fired in the same way as she had been.

For the past year, Lauren and her attorney, John Ray, have been embroiled in a federal court battle against the South Country Central School District and Superintendent Joseph Giani...

via: Facebook

 But, in May this year, Ray announced their "groundbreaking victory" when a judge ruled that their $3 million lawsuit could finally move ahead. "This is a signal victory for women, and for the millennial generation," Ray said. "The prurient mindset of outdated generations is drawing to an end."

Ray continued:

via: Facebook

 "Why should a woman be harassed in this way? Men are bare-chested, there are bare-chested swimmers, men-bare chested working in ditches, cutting front lawns, there are bare-chested men on the Super Bowl. No one gets upset about their breasts. The only distinction between them and her is, they both have nipples. Hers can suckle children and his cannot. It's absurd."

This is the photo that started it all.

via: Facebook

 Who'd have thought this single photo could bring a young woman's career to a grinding halt? Something needs to change. For more unjust stories of dismissal, keep scrolling...