Posted on 07/02/2003 10:08:52 PM PDT by TheEaglehasLanded
Wal-Mart Announces New Gay Policy Wednesday, 2 July 2003
SEATTLE -- Wal-Mart Stores, the nation's largest private employer, has broadened its corporate anti-bias policy to include gay and lesbian workers, the company announced Tuesday.
Wal-Mart spokeswoman Mona Williams said that the company implemented the changes because "It's the right thing to do for our employees. We want all of our associates to feel they are valued and treated with respect — no exceptions."
The decision was disclosed by a Seattle gay rights foundation that had invested in Wal-Mart and then lobbied the company for two years to make its discrimination policies more inclusive.
A spokeswoman told The New York Times on Tuesday that Wal-Mart had already sent out letters Tuesday to its 3,500 stores, after which store managers would explain the change to its 1.5 million employees.
Along with prodding from groups, such as the Pride Foundation, the spokeswoman said several gay employees wrote senior management about six weeks ago to say they would "continue to feel excluded" unless Wal-Mart changed its policies.
With the change announced by Wal-Mart this week, 9 of the 10 largest Fortune 500 companies now have rules barring discrimination against gay employees, according to the Human Rights Campaign.
Activists will now press for DP health benefits.
The exception is the Exxon Mobil Corporation, which was created in 1999 after Exxon acquired Mobil, and then revoked a Mobil policy that provided medical benefits to partners of gay employees, as well as a policy that included sexual orientation as a category of prohibited discrimination.
Wal-Mart said it currently had no plans to extend medical benefits to domestic partners.
Though no one directly linked the company decision to the Thursday's Supreme Court ruling against the country's sodomy laws, it certainly didn't hurt.
"A major argument against equal benefits, against fair treatment of employees, has been taken away," said Kevin Cathcart of Lambda Legal. "And so even within corporations it's a very different dialogue today, a very different dialogue."
There is no federal law prohibiting discrimination in the workplace on the basis of sexual orientation, but 13 states, the District of Columbia and several hundred towns, cities and counties have such legal protections in place for public and private employees.
Wal-Mart's new policy reads in part: "We affirm our commitment and pledge our support to equal opportunity employment for all qualified persons, regardless of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability or status as a veteran or sexual orientation."
Of course they oppose it. It takes away their fundamental right to denigrate homosexuals, call them names, and make them feel like second class citizens.
As used condoms are scattered throughout Disneyland during gay days, as your children watch 52 year old men licking each others tougues while holding hands.....
Are there any RV owners out there? Did you know that it's a Corporate policy to allow traveling RV's to stay overnight their store parking lots?
Huh?
You spend the night in Wal-mart parking lots? Oh, Jezzz....
We did this several times on long drives, during our recent vacation, rather than spend up to $50 just to stay in a campground for 5 hours.
You have got to be kidding? You saved $50. bucks so all this is fine with you. Man, we are in big trouble.........
Is Wal-mart really covering Cosmo with a modesty jacket?
I haven't been to Wal-mart in a few months.
Are there any RV owners out there?
Did you know that it's a Corporate policy to allow traveling RV's to stay overnight their store parking lots?
I'm thinking about renting an RV to go around Colorado and Wyoming this summer. Thanks for the money-saving tip.
Last weekend I saw a bunch of straight couples doing the same on the beach here in Florida; and during spring break, I've watched numerous straight people having sex in front of me.
Not to mention the times I've been to Fantasy Fest or Mardi Gras.
Why are so fixated on 1 or 2 percent of the sexual displays in this country?
Back to the cold shower for me.
That’s because you can’t, it makes you a hypocrite if you do. It’s a good question you can’t answer with any integrity. The fact that you won’t only puts you in a long line of hypocritical Liberaltarians that want to regulate some sexual behaviors and not others.
As far as children are concerned, whether sex is rape depends on consent. A child cannot consent only through arbitrary changeable law. But what defines a child? Under the 10th Amendment, the Constitution grants the authority to make such laws to the states or the people, disclaiming any authority over the judgement. It does not give the federal government any power over the issue of defining what constitutes a child. Therefore, whether or not rape seems to you to be a violation of basic liberty is utterly irrelevant, it’s left in the hands of the legislature.
That realy urks me. As much money you have to pay for a pass these days, you would think they could scatter some "new" condoms through the park.
Unless... You don't think there's a way for dogs to procreate on a human's leg, do you?
Check them a little closer, maybe you'll get lucky pal.
:o
You did? Oh my gawd, you saw a girl and a boy kissing on a beach! I hope your kids didn't see it. For crying out loud, I would much rather see two overweight, 56 year old men giving each other hickys on the Dumbo ride at Disneyland, and it's good for the whole family to see.
LOL That last statement made absolutely no sense.
I do think that gays are smarter than dogs. I just wonder why they don't use that intelligence rather than behaving like dogs.
As a rule, gay men tend to be in much better shape than straight men, so your characterization is skewed.
I guess two fatso, 56-year-old straight people are less gross in your view.
Btw, last time I was at the "titty" bar, I saw a couple of girls doing the French kissing routine with each other, and all the straight men in the audience were cheering them on.
You seem to be disgusted only at 50% of the homosexual behavior, (where is your outrage at the lesbian kisses?) Are you one of the few straight guys to become offended with lesbian porn?
Funny, my buddies brother didn't look to good when he was gasping for his last breath in the hospital, as he died a brutal death from Aids.
As to the ones still living, I've seen them in their gay pride parade...A bunch of 40 year olds were wearing diapers while caring a big ol dildo down the street. Now that is something to be proud of. You betcha.....
Really? Can you tell me any biological purpose for a dog to hump legs?
And you probably wont. It will be indoctrinated and directed at the employees behind closed doors, and you wont see it between the isles of Chinese goods......
You will succeed in one thing, making conservatives look like raving fools.
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