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Friday, January 2, 2009

Voted for Prop 8? You’re Fired

you're fired

***Thanks Journalista Chronicle for your post and commentary on this article.

Voted for Prop 8? You’re Fired

By Drew Zahn (© 2009 WorldNetDaily)

Protests following the passage of California's Proposition 8, which defined marriage as between one man and one woman, made news headlines, but the Pacific Justice Institute reports a growing number of cases where those opposed to the ballot measure have taken out their anger more quietly: by harassing – and even firing – employees who voted for it.

PJI, a non-profit legal defense organization specializing in religious freedom, claims to be representing a San Francisco woman who was fired for voting for Proposition 8, but whose name remains confidential to protect her privacy and legal case.

"Californians have been shocked by the aggressiveness of radical homosexual activists who have ousted several individuals from their jobs and livelihoods based solely on their support for traditional marriage," states Brad Dacus, president of PJI, on the group's website. "These tactics of fear and intimidation in retaliation for supporting a lawful ballot measure are completely unacceptable."

PJI also claims to be advising several others seeking settlements after they too were fired for supporting Proposition 8.

"Unfortunately, this is far from an isolated case," asserts a recent PJI statement.

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.

"I think there's certain types of jobs where there's more hostility than other places," Snider told WND. "I've had several college professors report harassment by their colleagues."

In one instance, Snider said, a professor took copies of nasty emails from his colleagues over his support of Prop. 8 to the lawyers in the college's human resources department. The professor alleged the emails clearly constituted hate speech, but his appeal was ignored.

Snider also told WND of Proposition 8 supporters who have suffered vandalism, physical violence and even attacks against family pets.

One report included a University of California student whose car was vandalized and who was beaten over her support of Prop. 8.

Original Article: Voted for Prop 8? You’re Fired

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Other links and commentary:

Journalista Chronicle: Voted For Prop 8? You’re Fired

Secular Heretic: Same-sex marriage activists endorse hate crimes for employees who voted for Proposition 8 

New York Gay “Marriage” Debate: Ruben Diaz Under Pressure

ruben diaz new york magazine

One of the next battleground states for protecting traditional marriage is New York. Democrat senator Ruben Diaz Sr. has promised he will not vote for a senate leader who supports a gay marriage bill reaching the senate floor (New York Times Article). He is now under intense pressure with Democrat organizations.

Send Reben Diaz an email to express your support:

diaz@senate.state.ny.us

The article below claims Diaz is“showing strain under pressure.” Kingfisher disagrees. From Diaz’ statements it’s clear he continues to stand for what he believes the Democrat party should care about—defending the traditional family. It seems traditional marriage would be important to all politicians since multiple studies show children do better in the in-tact, traditional married family. Diaz is correct in his stand.

Anti-Gay NY Pol Showing Strain Under Pressure

by Kilian Melloy, The Edge Contributor

Political groups, GLBT equality organizations, and unions have all come forward to issue a simple plea to New York state Sen. Rubén Díaz Sr. to prove himself a Democrat in more than name.

The Working Families Party, among other groups, has been active in attempting to bring pressure on to Díaz and fellow member of the so-called "Gang of Three," Democratic state Senator-elect Pedro Espada, Jr., by taking out a newspaper ad in several weekly Bronx publications.

The ad, which was reproduced in the Dec. 29 edition of the New York Daily News, reads, "Dear Senator Diaz and Senator-elect Espada: for decades our community has suffered under the failed leadership of the Republicans in Albany.

"People across New York voted to change that in November by electing a Democrat/Working Families majority in the State Senate for the first time in 43 years."

Continued the ad, "Now we can finally look forward to a better education for our children, more health care, affordable housing, and a real focus on all the issues that matter to working families.

"But only if you join the Democratic majority we voted for."

The Working Families party and other groups have circulated petitions urging Díaz to join with other state Democrats.

At issue is the question of whether fellow Democrat Malcolm Smith will be confirmed as Majority Leader of the New York state Senate. Díaz, Espada, and the third member of the so-called "Gang of Three," state Sen. Karl Kruger, another Democrat, have resisted Smith’s confirmation to the post due to Smith’s pro-marriage equality stance.

The New York state Assembly has already approved a bill that would allow gay and lesbian families in New York the right to marry. That bill, under outgoing Senate Majority Speaker Joseph Bruno, a Republican, was never allowed to come to a vote in the Senate.
The New York Daily News reported in November that Díaz, who is also an evangelical pastor, had attempted to convince Smith to sign a document promising not to allow the issue of marriage equality to come up for a vote.

But the turmoil surrounding Smith’s confirmation as the new Senate Majority Leader has had broader effects than the question of whether all families in New York will have equal access to legal recognition. Constituents see the flap as threatening the Democratic agenda overall.

In response to the petitions and the ads, Díaz’s people sent out a press release in which Díaz declared, "I am still a Democrat.
"And I will always be a Democrat."

New York Magazine reported in a Dec. 30 article that Díaz’s Dec. 29 release did address the evangelical pastor’s opposition to marriage rights for gay and lesbian families, but also decried budget cuts announced by Gov. David Paterson’s office and the ready availability of abortion services.

In a statement from earlier this month, Díaz praised President-elect Barack Obama for making the Democratic party more inclusive for Democrats who are more religiously and socially conservative.
Obama had drawn criticism from other quarters for inviting mega-church pastor and marriage equality opponent Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at the Presidential Inauguration.

Read Díaz’s statement, "Obama has sent a message to the world that ’Yes We Can’ have a Democratic Party where everyone should be included."

Added Díaz, "It has been the belief that the Democratic Party is owned exclusively by certain groups, and if you do not believe in nor follow the ideology of these groups and their agendas, then you will be a registered outcast."

Díaz went on, "To some people, if you oppose homosexual marriage and abortion, you are not a Democrat and you are certainly not be invited to deliver an inaugural invocation."