News & Politics - Bush Allows Gays to Be Fired for Being Gay

LaraCroft01 · 03-23-2004, 07:56 PM

March 20, 2004 | Daily Mislead Archive

Bush Allows Gays to Be Fired for Being Gay

Despite President Bush's pledge that homosexuals "ought to have the same rights" 1 as all other people, his Administration this week ruled that homosexuals can now be fired from the federal workforce because of their sexual orientation.

According to the Federal Times, the president's appointee at the Office of Special Counsel ruled that federal employees will now "have no recourse if they are fired or demoted simply for being gay." 2 While the Bush Administration says it is legally prohibited from firing a person for their conduct, they have the legal right to fire or demote someone based on their sexual orientation. To carry out the directive, the White House has begun removing information from government websites about sexual orientation discrimination in the workplace. 3

Not only does the new directive contradict the president's own promise to treat homosexuals as equals under the law, but it also contradicts what the Administration told Congress. As noted in a bipartisan letter from four Senators to the Administration, "During the confirmation process [of the president's appointee], you assured us that you were committed to protecting federal employees against unlawful discrimination related to their sexual orientation." 4

From here

Seems to be an article piece together from the sources below. I really hope this isn't true. I cannot stand the man, and hope that these last few months will be his last in office.

[ 03-23-2004: Message edited LaraCroft01 ]

n e r b l e · 03-23-2004, 08:18 PM

it's not a real news article. it's a fake. bush can't just pass laws... congress has to.

**TheAngel** · 03-23-2004, 08:22 PM

You're getting this information from an Anti-bush website. It sounds pretty biased to me. I think that if he had done something like this then there would be a little more of a public outcry. Besides haven't you ever heard the Don't ask don't tell policy of the military. That was around long before Bush.

J@NeY · 03-23-2004, 08:42 PM

Bush is a dick regardless if it is true or not.

Headhunter · 03-23-2004, 08:46 PM

Seems fake, I'll believe it when it's on the 11 o'clock news or CNN...

Enigma, I.C. · 03-23-2004, 09:06 PM

This is actually true.
http://www.365gay.com/newscon04/03/031704fedWorkers.htm

Quote:

LGBT Federal Workers Lose Job Protections
by Paul Johnson
365Gay.com Newscenter
Washington Bureau Chief

Posted: March 17, 2004 2:01 p.m. ET

(Washington, D.C.) Gay and lesbians in the entire federal workforce have had their job protections officially removed by the office of Special Counsel. The new Special Counsel, Scott Bloch, says his interpretation of a 1978 law intended to protect employees and job applicants from adverse personnel actions is that gay and lesbian workers are not covered.

Bloch said that the while a gay employee would have no recourse for being fired or demoted for being gay, that same worker could not be fired for attending a gay Pride event.

In his interpretation, Bloch is making a distinction between one�s conduct as a gay or lesbian and one�s status as a gay or lesbian.

�People confuse conduct and sexual orientation as the same thing, and I don�t think they are,� Bloch said in an interview with Federal Times, a publication for government employees.

Bloch said gays, lesbians and bisexuals cannot be covered as a protected class because they are not protected under the nation�s civil rights laws.

�When you�re interpreting a statute, you have to be very careful to interpret strictly according to how it�s written and not get into loose interpretations,� Bloch said. �Someone may have jumped to the conclusion that conduct equals sexual orientation, but they are essentially very different. One is a class . . . and one is behavior.�

It is the first time that Bloch has explained his position on the issue of gay workers despite pressure from unions and Federal Globe an organization that represents LGBT government workers after the OSC began removing references to sexual orientation-based discrimination from its complaint form, the OSC basic brochure, training slides and a two-page flier entitled "Your Rights as a Federal Employee." (story)

Bloch's position is a marked departure from how the previous special counsel, Elaine Kaplan, enforced the law. �The legal position that he is taking, that there is some distinction between discrimination based on sexual orientation and discrimination based on conduct, is absurd,� Kaplan told Federal Times.

Bloch indicated that he may amend his position. He said he is initiating a review of the issue and plans to meet with the Office of Personnel Management and congressional staff to hear their opinions before making a final decision on how his office will handle complaints alleging sexual orientation discrimination. The review will not get completely under way until next month, when Bloch�s senior legal adviser begins work, he said.

Bloch was appointed by President Bush to a five year term beginning in January.

�365Gay.com� 2004

ros2nz · 03-23-2004, 10:22 PM

EEOC allows this or can it not interfere with sexual orientation?

Silversun · 03-23-2004, 11:29 PM

What? I'm confused. Does the article mean that you can be fired for 'acting gay', although you're not necessarily gay; or is it the other way round - you can get fired for being gay, even though you don't 'act' it? [img]smilies/look.gif[/img]

Either way, that is so wrong.

SuperDeluxe · 03-23-2004, 11:50 PM

So it is not a new law..but just a different interpertation of it?

ceilirose · 03-24-2004, 05:32 AM

Uf you look at the links then it backs up this article. The links are from Bush's debate with Gore in '00 and two Washington Post pieces plus another newspaper I hadn't heard of. Since that one has links to USA Today I doubt it is a left leaning newspaper.

**sum1** · 03-24-2004, 06:26 AM

Jeez, I wish Bush and co would focus on fighting terrorism, instead of on persecuting people for their sexual orientation.

jjj · 03-24-2004, 06:54 AM

I don't think they're saying you can be fired for being gay - just that the civil rights laws don't cover it.

If a federal employee is fired for some reason - and that is not an easy thing to do - they will not be able to allege that it was for sexual orientation.

I don't believe civil rights laws originally included sexual orientation.

last beautiful girl · 03-24-2004, 11:44 PM

Wow. If that's true, that's really depressing.

Age-a-licious · 03-27-2004, 01:31 PM

And Bush wonders why not a lot of people like him. [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img]

Lexi A. · 03-28-2004, 08:05 AM

My social problems instructor was telling us a few weeks ago that if she were to tell her supervisor at the college that she was gay, she could be fired - and it be openly known that her being homosexual was why she was getting fired. It has always upset me how much discrimination homosexuals face in this country, but I didn't realize it was to that extent as what my instructor told us.

It just makes me feel sick to my stomach, to be honest. [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img]


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