caption birth_place image_size birth_date image article_title education name occupation
self portrait jersey city , new jersey , u.s. 250px 6 july 1950 joe face in tie.jpg joe acanfora
 b.s. 1972 , penn state university joe acanfora educator ; university administrator
joe acanfora

joe acanfora -lrb- born july 6 , 1950 in jersey city , new jersey -rrb- is an american educator and activist .
acanfora , who is openly gay , fought to become an earth science teacher in the public schools in pennsylvania and maryland in the early 1970s .
his fight between 1971 and 1974 over a series of transfers and dismissals by authorities from his public school teaching assignments based upon his acknowledged homosexuality involved litigation through the federal court system ; expert witness court testimony on the effect of an openly gay teacher on his students ; extensive media coverage , including an appearance on cbs `` 60 minutes '' ; a `` morality investigation '' by the penn state university teacher certification council ; and active participation of his parents in the public debate .
