A BC teacher’s assistant has been fired from her job over racy online posts, including on the platform OnlyFans..Kristin MacDonald, known online as 'Ava James,' had been working at Terry Fox Secondary School in Port Coquitlam since 2015. In April, she was told to take down her OnlyFans account, or risk termination..The educator kept the account active and was told by email in June that she had been fired..“I was in Mexico with my daughter. So I had the time to think about the next steps that I wanted to take and kind of mourn the loss of my past career,” MacDonald told CityNews..“It’s sad and disappointing. I put eight years into working for that district, and it’s extremely disappointing.”.MacDonald wonders if any of her male fans in the school district will face discipline..“One of the things I said to my employer is, ‘If I’m going to be fired for having a content creator account, are my male colleagues going to be disciplined for having a subscriber account?’ And they said, ‘Well, no. Don’t you think it’s different to watch the video versus make the video?’” she explained..“I understand it, but at the same time we wouldn’t be making the content if there wasn’t a market for it.”.The 35-year-old single mother says she started on OnlyFans last year to supplement her income..MacDonald says she was making about $1,000 every two weeks working 10 months of the year as a teacher’s assistant..“We make such a little income. It’s certainly unlivable and anybody who does what I do, they do it because they love the kids and they love what they do. It’s certainly not for the money. That being said, you have to survive and you have to feel like you’re progressing in life,” she explained..In response to a media request from CityNews, School District 43 replied,.“The District recognizes and values the central role its employees play in achieving the District’s purpose of providing quality public education in a safe, inclusive, and socially responsible environment for the benefit of the learners it serves and the broader community."."Consistent with that, the District strives to ensure all employees are treated equitably and issues are investigated and addressed thoroughly and fairly in accordance with the District’s policies, procedures and legal obligations.”.But MacDonald said her beauty inspired her downfall..“I felt like I was being discriminated against based on my appearance, and the photos they had come across on Instagram,” she said. .“I had a fitness background prior to doing what I’m doing now. It’s just a body. Just the amount of shame that was put on me.”.MacDonald feels a recent Instagram post she made wearing a schoolgirl’s outfit was the post the district cited in her termination letter..Through her union, she is grieving the decision, claiming discrimination..“We have come a long way in our society in the way we view sex and I think this is just one more step in kind of moving forward in more of a progressive society,” she said..“You can have your opinion but I don’t think that I should lose my job for it. From a moral standpoint, people disagree. From a labour relations standpoint, I’m not doing anything wrong.”.CUPE, which represents MacDonald, is saving their response for the employer..“CUPE 561 will not be commenting as this is an ongoing labour relations matter, and throughout this process, confidentiality is of the utmost importance.”.MacDonald, hopes to work in education again someday. She says she will refocus on her online career after an upcoming back surgery, her second in recent months.
