NYC vegetarian sues, says boss called him 'homo'

newsday.com ^ | Jan. 28, 2009

[BobbyT]

vegetarian + tights + New York + Euros + frivolous entitlement lawsuit

Survey says...

[Tainan]

Poor comment by the manager. Such terms are counter-productive to a work environment.
Especially if said out loud in the presence of others.

Last sentence of the article....
"Pacifico's lawyer Rick Ostrove said Wednesday his client married a woman in August and isn't gay."

[ozzymandus]

Witnesses?

[Marie2]

“In post-modern identity politics, you cannot attack a culture.”

I think it’s ok to attack evangelical Christian, Roman Catholic, Mormon, and generally white culture.

[Slings and Arrows]

“How much intelligence does it take to sneak up on a leaf?”
—Larry Niven

[Husker24]

He should have called him a pussy not a homo.

[Eagle Forgotten]

According to the linked article, he’s not suing because he was called a name or because his feelings were hurt. He’s suing because he was fired, and the supervisor’s comments are evidence that he was fired because he was (or was thought to be) gay. In NYC, that’s illegal, by municipal ordinance.

In any kind of discrimination suit, the plaintiff’s biggest problem is proving motivation. Did the employer decide on the firing because of poor performance, or for some prohibited reason like race or age? Comments like those by the dimwitted supervisor here are what plaintiff’s lawyers live for.

[Islander7]

“...Comments like those by the dimwitted supervisor here are what plaintiff’s lawyers live for...”

Unless those comment are on tape it is also what plaintiffs and their lawyers LIE for.

It is always the fault of someone else, there is always some bias against a ‘protected’ classes. There never seems to be just cause for termination.

If the supervisor had been gay and fired me, addressing me as a ‘breeder’, there would be no case or remedy.

When there is real equality under the law, I’ll have sympathy for this guy.

[Doc Savage]

So,....is he a vegetarian homo??????

[Eagle Forgotten]

I'm no expert on this particular law, but I think that, under the NYC statute that this fired employee is invoking, all discrimination based on sexual orientation is prohibited. So, yes, if someone called you a "breeder" and fired you for not being gay, you would have a cause of action.

Federal law doesn't give the same protection but it does prohibit sexual harassment. There have been cases alleging that a straight male employee was harassed by a gay male supervisor.

[ffusco]

I forgot to mention, the majority culture of white Christian, males is the only culture that can not be offended, can not be victimized or marginalized.

[DustyMoment]

Ok, if your boss calls you a homosexual and fires you, do you REALLY want to keep working for him?? I wouldn’t. I might not like the way that I was fired but, under those circumstances, I’m better o0ff taking my lumps (and my veggies) and finding someplace else to work.

What does he think he has to gain by filing a lawsuit?? We can toss laws, ethics, morals, etc., back and forth at each other all day and into the night and we’ll both probably be right. However, the reality is that once you sue an employer, there is virtually NO other employer who will hire you, regardless of whether you were justified to sue or not. This is why so few people sue their employer - they know is an accelerated path to unemployment, poverty and, possibly, living on the street. It is a no-win situation for him because (assuming he wins), once the monetary award from the suit is gone, he is still going to find himself unemployable. So, it’s a zero sum game.