US court upholds firing for anti-gay Bible quotes

Reuters via forbes ^ | 1/6/04 | Reuters

[humblegunner]

They are placing posters on the wall declaring the value of homosexuality. This is a religious view in opposition to Christianity.

I had not yet heard where being a sodomist or a homo was considered a religion.
The placement of posters by the company does not promote a religion but merely
a sick, deviant and dangerous lifestyle.

Just to clarify.

[little jeremiah]

You dont have to like the practice but you cant be stirring up trouble or you get the axe like this fella did.

HP forced their "diversity" poster on this guy. Someone up the thread made some good points about 3% of the population forcing "tolerance" etc on everyone else - primarily through the courts, along with some really bad and unconstitutional legislation.

Except that it's more like under 2% of the population. And they don't reproduce, so they recruit.

[WOSG]

Yes and no. It makes a mockery of the 'diversity' term.
This is CONFORMITY to the ideology of choice.

Would the 9th have upheld a firing of a gay employee advocating an agenda that was Liberal? ie putting up signs that said "Fight the Hetero-power, OrganizE!"

IMHO, HP and the 9th Circus are being hypocrites.

[WOSG]

Hey, I got it! Instead of a "diverse work force", why doesn't HP make an effort to promote, and hire, and retain the most highly qualified work force? Yeah, yeah, I know it sounds crazy, but it's so crazy it just might work!

My next company, I am putting you in charge of HR... It's amazing but in all the Fortune 500 companies, nobody seems to 'get it'.

[little jeremiah]

It's amazing but in all the Fortune 500 companies, nobody seems to 'get it'.

Since the "gay" activists and their handmaidens now worship at the shrine of legally sanctified sodomy, they feel they have free rein to start enforcing their version of sharia laws on the rest of us. It's the new "gold" standard - sodomy first, last and always!

[WOSG]

LN -

100% dittos on all you say.
I've seen my share of PC BS from HR here too.
You are spot on.

Dave, learn from those who know. The lefties arent looking for 'fairness' they are wanting to destroy us, fairness be damned.

[little jeremiah]

Homosexual Agenda Ping - Pinging the list.

Let me know if you want to added or subtracted from this list.

Vile homo-fascist hatespeech ping.

[petitfour]

Why does a company need to put up posters telling employees how the diversity of having homosexual employees is a strength? What kind of public relations is this? It sure doesn't endear the company to over 50% of its customers!!!!!!!! And it alienates Christian employees needlessly. The guy should shake the dust off his feet and find another place to work.

Our $$$$ will not go to HP. I'm not sure what kind of computer we will next purchase. However, quality of product will not be the only factor in our decision.

[gitmo]

Judaism and Christianity present a standard of behavior defining "good" and a standard of behavior defining "bad". They also present loyalty to the Creator, who gave man these definitions.
People throughout history have come up with their own definitions of "good" and "evil". Isaiah said,

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;
...
Who justify the wicked for a bribe,
And take away the rights of the ones who are in the right.

How can you call it anything besides a religion when a company places posters on their walls declaring something "good" that is scripturally defined as a sin? When they punish someone for showing the original definition of "evil" within the tiny confines of a cubicle?

[Alberta's Child]

The court made the right decision in this case. A private employer should be able to terminate an employee for any reason it deems fit.

I will say this, though: The day my company starts putting up "We Love Diversity" posters like this is the day I walk out the door.

Oh, and I take my clients with me, too. Because I know that none of them give two sh!ts about diversity, either.

[dhs12345]

Then one day you too may be fired from your job. I respect you for making this choice.

[Hodar]

If Reinhardt has to tolerate HP's Diversity Dogma (read religion), than HP should tolerate Reinhardt's expression of Biblical Christianity.

HP is paying people to be there. If you don't like the rules, you are free to work elsewhere. Their factory, their rules. In exchange for living withing their rules, and doing your job; you get the luxury of a paycheck, some nice benefits and retirement.

[tubavil]

If you don't like HP's stance, don't buy thier products. It is as simple as that.

It's not that simple.

HP's stance is now prevalent throughout the high tech industry and not just with huge employers.

Try being in mid to late career with a few hundred thousand in 401K, options, and profit sharing plans, and then being FORCED by HR to attend 'diversity' classes and then being FORCED to sign a post-employment, binding, LEGAL agreement that says you have attended the classes, agree with EVERYTHING, and agree that violating any element is grounds for immediate termination.

Note that it is *impossible* NOT to violate these agreements. Among other things they say violations are not limited to verbal or written transgressions. A "look" or "attitude" is sufficient for violation. Worse, the ONLY criterion for someone to be 'offended' is an ALLEGED PERCEPTION. Complaints are anonymous and must be followed up by a FORMAL HR investigation, lest they be sued by the 'offended' party.

One has the option of refusing to sign: losing all investments, being thrown into a rotten economy with few prospects, putting one's family in jeopardy, all late in life. But is that really a choice?

If you are a heterosexual, white, christian, male, you are screwed by definition at the outset. That's before you even get to the radical liberal courts that surround high-tech areas (SEA, Bay Area, Boston). This of course is the whole point of 'diversity' - the destruction of the heterosexual, white, male, Christian element.

In sum, it is not that simple.

[LibertarianInExile]

You mean so-called "diversity" posters shouldn't be displayed at work? I'm so confused!

:)

[Hodar]

HP IS tolerating one religion over another. They are placing posters on the wall declaring the value of homosexuality.

Exactly what religion is homosexuality? It crosses all religions, all races and both sexes. The standing rule at HP (and a great deal of other companies) is that you may not abuse, threaten, harass, demean or ostracize anyone .... period. This includes not only country of national origin, race, creed, sex, but also (now) sexual orientation.

Now, if you want to start a company that does allow discrimination, harassment, et. al. feel free to go right on ahead. But as a shareholder, HP's obligation is to be profitable. HP can best stay profitable by avoiding stupid lawsuits.

[Dog Gone]

Exactly. The sentiment on this thread would be totally different if this took place in a Christian television station, and the employee refused to take down his signs advocating something objectionable.

You have to take this situation, reverse the facts, and then decide what's fair.

I still don't know how we got to the point in this country where an employer has to keep an employee that he doesn't like. Who runs the business, the employer or the US government, or some steenkin' judge?

[LibertarianInExile]

Samsung is making some good stuff now. Depending on what you're doing with the 5Ls (if it's a few for the office) and if your office has copiers, sometimes it's a good idea to get the copiers networked so that you don't NEED a new printer--that way, you only have one toner cartridge type to worry about. Might be worth considering.

[SandRat]

The San Francisco-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit held that HP did not discriminate against Richard Peterson when it fired him after he posted quotes from the Bible in his cubicle in response to company posters featuring gay employees.

Wouldn't you just know it the 9th Circus again. Well how long do you think it will be before this one is over turned by SCOTUS? Hell, why doesn't the SCOTUS make its life easy and just over turn every decision the 9th has ever made en banc and peremptorily. That would sure lighten the docket.

[xzins]

I'm torn on this one, but it is true that it is a private company.

It raises the question of what a company can require of an employee. Can they require anything and there can be no protest because they are a private concern?

There are discrimination laws. It says they cannot discriminate on the basis of age, sex, religion, handicap....they didn't say "sexual orientation" in the past. Apparently, they have eliminated the anti-discrimination provision based on religion.

It sounds as if you are now allowed to discriminate on the basis of religion. Either that or they have listed those in a hierarchy of concerns such that if the choice is between age and sex, then a company can discriminate on the basis of sex if it is in contention with an age issue. For example, if we have a hiring pool of males and females, but the males are all elderly, then we can hire the elderly and tell the females to take a hike. Age is higher on the discrimination hierarchy than is sex.

This would mean that sexual orientation has been moved higher on the discrimination hierarchy than is religion.