i cant belive it took you this long to relize it

if you are gay... and it interferes with your work... then you should be fired... me being straight doesnt interfere with anything... and therefore being gay shouldnt fuck with anything... i dont go around telling people about all the chicks ive railed, and my heterosexual exploits at work... gay people shouldnt be going around talking about dudes and their homosexual exploits at work...

It should be a non-issue... dont ask, dont tell... noone at work knows whether i am gay or straight... the way i dress and act i come across as a FLAMING homosexual... noone asks, because noone cares to know...

I cant go around asking everyone to have a perfect working enviroment like myself... but if youre gay, dont make it an issue... just like if youre a homophobe... dont make it an issue... and just like if youre straight... dont make it an issue... youre at work to do your job... not to share shit about your personal lives... your sexuality should have absolutely no bearing on your performance... and your boss should have no clue whether you are gay or straight

exactly

I see no problem with making sure that someone isn't fired based on reasons other than their qualifications for the job. So, I'm all for any such law that insures fairness to a greater degree.

pfft. there are alot of reasons one can get fired aside from job performance.

attitude, drug tests, background checks.. i could go on.

sexual preference shouldnt have jack shit to do with a job unless your job is sex related or your flaming ass cant stop hitting on coworkers.

therefore, why do teh flamers need *ANYTHING* from the feds regarding thier jobs? are the feds suppose to make sexual harassment only apply to straight people?

it's already illegal to mess with someone's job based on such a thing, it's basically considered discrimination. but like i said.. if said flamer hits on coworkers, he'll have the same punishment as me making an unwelcome advance on a female coworker. it's called sexual harassment.

everyone wants special treatment cuz they're 'different' -- tough tiddies. sometimes being different isnt easy...

Ok, I've read through all of the comments pro/con...

some of you have the right idea, some of you are stupid. Most of you, actually, are stupid.

I live in Kansas, and I must say--I thought that there were ignorant bigots here... Texas is certainly no fucking different. Like what the hell?

first of all, gay people are not "flamers", "queens", or any other derogatory name that you can come up with to insult them. Hell, I'm not gay and I am fucking insulted. under this new legislation, hetero people would be protected in case their gay boss wanted to fire them for being a "fucking breeder"... so it's not JUST for gay people. But if you wanna get technical YOU DON'T NEED PROTECTION, THEY DO. Hetero people aren't being fired for being straight. Are they?

Hell no!

Like I said, a few of you are ignorant--the rest of you are alright... but that applies to like 2-3 of you... so don't get excited thinking I am talking to you.... cuz I'm not.

Also, how is the scene down in ATX and Dallas for people who go to parties/raves/club nights being gay... I mean, 3 of our local DJ's are gay and play out pretty consistantly and happen to be good friends with almost everyone in our scene... they get no special treatment, nor do they ask for it... so tell me, why such bigots?

To be honest, living in Austin, there's not much homophobia or discrimination AT ALL. I have NEVER had an issue going to events or clubs, at the workplace, or on the street. It's nice here. Now if you're black and get a visit from the cops....well, that's a different kettle of fish.

Austin is not representative of most places though. I'm from the Corpus Christi area. I moved for a reason.

because youre so much better than everyone else

couldn't have said it better myself.

The real issue here isn't why gay people are being harrassed, either... because though it is happening, I doubt it's happening on that wide of a scale--HOWEVER, there needs to be precedent as has already been said... also, it should be ILLEGAL NOW, that way if someone breaks the law by being a piece of shit bigot and then acting on that hatred this person who is being hated upon will have something to hold up in court.

I bet if some of you were fired for your hair-do, or even your foul ass breath(or perhaps for being trashball bigots) you'd be tied up in court for 40 mil within a fuckin hour. Why do you get special treatment?

Thats the basis for the claim that protection is needed. At least, in my mind.

retarded

Hmmm....well, let me give a couple examples why I think this is not entirely realistic...say you have a significant other. You want to keep a photo of them on your desk. If you're straight, you have nothing to fear. If you're gay....well that's quite a different story. As far as your boss having no clue as to your preference, once you get into longer-term career positions, working in the same environment with a lot of the same people day in and day out, things like people's families and loved ones become part of the fabric of coworkers' lives as well. My workplace is pretty close-knit.

But then again, I agree with dOmcreator that I would not want to work with a bunch of people that either didn't respect me or I didn't respect.

Straight couples definitely get preferential treatment in workplace-related issues like insurance and taxes.

that's actually another thing... thanks for bringing up the tax and medical issue... because THAT IS HUGE.

In a country where gay marriage is largely unallowed, we offer NOTHING in the way of health coverage for a gay persons signifigant other/adopted children/etc.

meaning that a man and woman can meet and get married the same day, and have coverage from their work for BOTH of them within a week, whereas a gay couple could be together for, say... I dunno 10 FUCKING YEARS and not have any coverage for each other. It simply isnt offered, NOR is it given when requested. THAT is fucked up.

Noone should be treated like a second class citizen because they are gay, or even WORSE because they are NOT heterosexual

silly fag, dicks are for chicks.

Chicks with dicks?

just say no, alan. pick a side and quit trying to get both worlds.

Hey, don't blame me.

I'd never associate those two words with one another on my own.

I shit right all over this entire conversation.
Alan, I'm sorry you live in Tejas, man. The level of ignorance is appauling. I am sad to have been born there.

like he said, austin isn't that bad. i don't think austin really counts as texas anyway, it's like a little california colony.

NAh, Austin's quite good. You'd be surprised.

I know a lot of these people. Some of what you may read as ignorance is simply joshing.

They're just jealous of my infinitely advanced oral skillz.

boh!!!


I can understand jokes to a certain extent, but some shit should simply not be said. It's OK to be serious when talking about a serious topic.

it's ok to be a moron and fuck around when you are confused, or feel guilty about something

but you should make yourself CLEAR at all times, so you aren't confused for a flag/cross/church burning neo-nazi.

yeah im glad im pretty clear... i dont care if my coworker is gay or not... so long as it doesnt interfere with my work

and i am ok with my coworkers as long as they aren't moronic heterosexuals. what's with this... "i'm ok with you as long as you aren't too gay" business? what, do you think you're so hot that all the gay people are gonna be knocking down your cubicle to get to you? or is that you think gay people are so desperate that they'll go for anyone? either way, you're a fucking fool. i've been hearing the same thing over and over and over. it's so irritating.

gotta love reversed roles.

dude, I'd love to say that most heterosexuals are open to anything, if not in practice, at least in their minds and hearts...

I will say this without fear of being a bigot...

STEREOTYPES ARE STEREOTYPES FOR A REASON.

If you don't fit them, then don't take offense. Simply know that you are right. Carry on.