[extropy-chat] gays can be fired for being gay

[Damien Broderick]

Uh-oh; hard to say how much of a beat-up this is:

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http://www.misleader.org/daily_mislead/Read.asp?fn=df03202004.html


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)