A New York City education official was forced to resign from her position hours after being appointed following reports she had previously labeled homosexuality as a sinful behavior alongside adultery, pedophilia, and fornication.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams requested the resignation of the Rev. Kathlyn Barrett-Layne from the city’s Panel for Education Policy Tuesday afternoon after reporting from the New York Daily News highlighted writings by Barrett-Layne saying homosexuality was sinful.
In an interview with the New York Times, Barrett-Layne claimed her comments were taken out of context.
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“I feel bullied. I believe that the city is being bullied,” she said. “I feel as though my character, my name, my church have been defamed with lies and that everything was taken out of context.”
Barrett-Layne, a pastor at Reach Out and Touch Ministries International in New York City’s Staten Island, had previously written a book titled Challenging Your Disappointments as Appointments With Destiny that said Christian leaders dealt with the same temptations their congregations did, including homosexuality.
“Leaders struggle with the same temptations of drugs, alcohol, homosexuality, fornication, adultery, pedophilia, stealing, lying, envy, covetousness, and every other sin that the congregation struggle with,” she wrote in the book.
The writings were first reported by the New York Daily News and resulted in Barrett-Layne’s resignation hours after Adams announced her appointment to the panel.
A spokesperson for Adams told the New York-based newspaper the mayor’s office had not been aware of her previous writings when she was appointed to the position.
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“We were unaware of these writings and we’ve asked her to resign,” the spokesperson said.
Barrett-Layne told the New York Times she is “not homophobic” and may take legal action against the city.
