Saturday, January 3, 2009

Voted for Prop 8? You're fired

From WND:

...Kevin Snider, chief counsel for PJI, told WND of a worker at a financial company who was asked before the November election how he would vote on the issue of homosexual marriage. The employee gave an evasive answer. Following the election, the employee was asked repeatedly how he voted.
When it was learned the employee had voted in favor of Proposition 8, he was written up for discrimination, Snider reports, and fired within a couple of days.
WND reported earlier of a pair of radio hosts who were fired, they believe, because they questioned on air a local politician's call to boycott businesses that supported Prop. 8.
"I voiced my opinion," radio host Marshall Gilbert told WND. "I voted yes on Prop. 8, and I was fired over that."
While some employees have been fired outright, others have been harassed by fellow workers or risk losing their jobs because of protesters hounding their companies.
The Los Angeles Times reported
the story of El Coyote, a coffee shop that became a target of protest after the manager's name was put on a blacklist for giving $100 to support Proposition 8. Mobs of protesters harassed El Coyote's customers, shouting "shame on you," until police in riot gear settled the crowd.
The customers, the Times reports, abandoned the once-thriving business, and now El Coyote's 89 employees, some of them openly homosexual, have had their hours cut and face layoffs if the customers don't return soon.
Advocates for homosexual marriage have even set up a website,
AntiGayBlacklist.com, which lists hundreds of California residents, churches and businesses that donated money to the Proposition 8 campaign, urging sympathizers not to patronize those on the list. ...(more)

2 comments:

lhahn said...

Just like the unintended consequences of the last 8 years of the Bush administration, the unintended consequence of boycotting raises its head as well.

However, I feel strongly that my dollars will not be spent in businesses who put money to support Prop 8, which is my right. And, if there are people in my life who voted for Prop 8, they are not welcome in my life anymore.

It's not a matter of intolerance, but a matter of survival. I refuse to stay silent when the majority wants to protect a secular institution which impacts my family in a secular way. Fortunately, my right to do so is still unimpeded. Were it put to a vote, perhaps that same majority would move to remove that as well.

Anonymous said...

It's very ironic to hear yes on 8 voters crying foul when the subject of boycotts and protests comes up, but I must ask these people, how can you be surprised? You voted a discriminatory act to be put back on the books. The California Supreme Court clearly stated they felt the ban on gay marriages was discriminatory, which is why they overturned Prop 22. Prop 8 obviously reversed that, so discrimination was put back into state law, and gays were stripped of the rights they had for about four months. Why is any of this extreme backlash a surprise? You gave the gay community and the millions of straight supporters a black eye, and you wonder why they are angry? Remember, just because a majority votes for something doesn't make it right. The courts have historically voted counter to popular opinion throughout history when they reversed bans on interracial marriage, womens right to vote, and racial equality, so why is this any different? I can appreciate the fact that many people are not comfortable with gay marriage, but to not be able to see beyond those feelings, from a societal standpoint, is a shame. The 15,000 gay couples that got married in California are not going to take society down with them. They are already here living the lives they lived before Prop 8. However, fear tactics have elevated this into something ridiculously draining on time and finances in a time of extreme need. The state is going broke, the economy is in the tank, and 52.7% of this state seems to think 15,000 couples, out of the 30,000,000 plus who live here, are somehow a danger to their well being? Clearly the $70,000,000 spent by both sides says so. We all need to get real and reprioritize. We should be so lucky to have 15,000 additional couples in this state that want to formalize their relationship in a respectful way.