CNN's Town Hall LGBTQ event tonight

[jp1]

Under federal law are certain specific protected classes of employees. Discrimination in hiring/firing decisions based on any of these classes is illegal. They are:

Race.
Color.
Religion or creed.
National origin or ancestry.
Sex.
Age.
Physical or mental disability.
Veteran status.
Genetic information.
Citizenship

Everything else is fair game. Sexual orientation is a perfectly legitimate reason to fire someone under current federal law.

Since inly democratic politicians express any concern that this is a problem this is one of the reasons that lgbt people vote heavily democratic. If their state doesnt have a nondiscrimination law that includes sexual orientation keeping their job may be at risk. An example. I have a friend in NY state who taught music at a catholic elementary school. After NY legalized same sex marriage but before it became legal across the country, he married his long term partner. Previously the school had known of the partner’s existence but turned a blind eye. Once they were married they fired him for being gay because they felt that they could no longer turn a blind eye to his sexual orientation.

[Teacher Terry]

That’s disgusting! I didn’t realize some people aren’t protected.

[sweetana3]

jp1, we have that whole scenario happening in Indiana. In fact, one religious school caved to the Catholic Church and the Jesuits did not. So the Church somehow decommissioned? them and they could not do certain functions of the religion at the private school. They are fighting it.

I am all for commitment and who cares what someone else's sexual orientation is anyway? Just as with religion, so long as they are not in my face trying to convert me or mine, live and let live.

[jp1]

Part of the issue is that the catholic church claims that teachers in catholic schools are ‘ministers’. The supreme court is deciding this term a couple of cases regarding whether sexual orientation is part of the protected class of ‘sex’ in terms of discrimination. It’s anyone’s guess how they will decide since there has been a stolen seat and a conservative hack installed since the last time an lgbt case came through. Hopefully next year’s election will put enough democrats into the senate and white house to render the harm that may occur short lived.

[Alan]

The simple way to solve the problem is to have the feds take over religion. Beto is already talking up punishing churches who don't preach to his satisfaction, essentially promoting a state religion.

[jp1]

Beto is going to far. The simple way to solve this is for the feds to say teachers are teachers and priests are priests.

And republicans wonder why only upper middle class old white guys are the only lgbt folks interested in supporting them...

[Alan]

And republicans wonder why only upper middle class old white guys are the only lgbt folks interested in supporting them...

That's probably because only upper middle class old white guy lgbt folks realize that republicans don't think they're anything special. All the rest seem to enjoy believing republicans think about them a lot, which in my experience isn't true.

[jp1]

I’d be fine with not being thought anything special. I’m not ok with being thought less than the same treatment as anyone else. Which is what the typical republican viewpoint seems to be. And couching things like marriage equality and employment discrimination as anything other than ‘they are less than me’ is dishonest. My friend that was fired from the catholic school was not a minister. He was teaching do re mi to kindergartners. His firing was based on a pathetic lie to justify discrimination based on his sexual orientation.

[Alan]

I’d be fine with not being thought anything special. I’m not ok with being thought less than the same treatment as anyone else. Which is what the typical republican viewpoint seems to be.

I've always enjoyed it when others tell me what I think, though my wife thinks I'm a little too easily entertained.

[jp1]

You’re a typical republican? I didn't say that. You seem far
More thoughtful than a typical republican. I’m only commenting on what anyone with half a brain can see is reality about typical republicans.