Friday, July 06, 2007

BELIEF OR BIGOTRY?

Or both? Ted Doudak, president of Riva Jewelry Manufacturing in Queens, N.Y., reportedly quoted the Bible around the office. One of his employees, John Fairchild, said Doudak talked about gays and lesbians being "repulsive."

One day, Fairchild mentioned that his daughter is a lesbian -- and by the way, he's gay. The next day he was fired, Fairchild said.

Fairchild sued. A judge ruled that he can quiz Doudak about his religious beliefs. The New York Daily News reports:
Fairchild's lawyer, William Kaiser, sought to quiz Doudak about his religious beliefs before trial, asking if Doudak "believes that 'homosexuality is a sin against God' ... believes that 'gays and lesbians are doomed to eternal damnation' ... [or] regards homosexuals as 'repulsive.'"

[Doudak's attorney, Todd] Krakower said that being forced to answer those questions would violate Doudak's First Amendment rights, and Fairchild would try to use Doudak's beliefs as proof he intended to illegally discriminate.

Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Carol Edmead last month ordered Doudak to answer, saying no one can use their right to religious freedom "as a cloak for acts of discrimination or as a justification of [discriminatory] practices."
Doudak has every right to his beliefs. He just can't use them to discriminate against another human being.

For a unique perspective from historians on gay discrimination in the U.S., click here. It's not as age-old an issue as you might think.

6 comments:

Busplunge said...

For awhile I worked at a proprietary school 30 miles north of here. The owner's husband told me that he thought an employee I had hired was gay but that we could pray it out of them. I told him we couldn't do that. He thought he could do anything because he owned the school, I didnt' last long there. And the funny (or sad) thing is the guy who fired me got fired for finding out the same things I found out. Remember now, these were good, Christian people, or at least that's what they told me.

Anonymous said...

Jeeze Louise, If I owned a business and wanted someone's butt out of there, that would be it. Now, I'd be smarter than this idiot and use another reason, but the result would be the same...tell your story walkin'.

Anonymous said...

A business owner having Christian beliefs and using that as a basis for his business = bad.

A homosexual forcing his lifestyle on others and demanding they see it as normal = good.

I guess the definition of discrimination depends on who is doing the definition.

Sky Girl said...

I guess maybe I could see your point, if I ever met anyone who tried to force their lifestyle on me, or if I ever met anyone to whom this happened. Anon 10:45, what are you talking about? You must know some odd people if they are out there trying to force you to be someone you are not.

Anonymous said...

During my lifetime there have been numerous people that have dropped by my door attempting to coerce me into their biblical based lifestyle. I don't recall anyone from the gay community ever attempting to do the same.

Anonymous said...

"homosexuals forcing their lifestyle on others [homophobes]" means that when certain repressed adults see Gays it "forces" them to have naughty kinky thoughts about their own sexuality, and we can't have that.