HomoQuotable - Michelangelo Signorile

"The Duck Dynasty controversy has become so ugly so fast. It's time to just call it what it is. Religious zealots like Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson are using the Bible to defame a group of people and excuse horrible actions against that group in the name of their Bible, refusing responsibility for the hate their words condone and inspire. And much of the media seems to be going along with it because the Robertsons, a Louisiana family with a reality TV show on A&E, are home-spun country people whom everyone seems to love. I'm seeing way too much defense of this crap as free speech -- as if every corporation is forced to allow its employees to spew vile and offensive defamation against people. Try telling your boss that he or she is like a pig-f**ker and see how long you keep your job. Just tell him or her it's in the Bible, and see if that keeps you from getting shown the door immediately without collecting your stuff." - Michelangelo Signorile, writing for the Huffington Post.

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Posted in: Duck Dynasty,employment,freedom of speech,homophobia,HomoQuotable,Michelangelo Signorile,Phil Robertson,reality shows,religion

NEW YORK CITY: Teacher Claims Lesbian Boss Fired Him For Being Straight

An Upper East Side private school has been sued by a former gym teacher who claims that his lesbian boss fired him because she disapproved of his "traditional family status."

Gregory Kenney, 50, taught gym at the Trinity School on W. 91st St. for 16 years before he was let go in June 2012. Kenney, who lives with his wife and three young children in LI, says he was a well-liked employee at the elite institution that counts Truman Capote, Ivanka Trump and Eric Schneiderman as alumni, until a gay athletic director named Pat Krieger took over in 2009. Krieger allegedly forced him to coach three sports, even though his contract only required him to join two teams, according to his reverse discrimination suit. When he complained that the extra responsibilities interfered with his family obligations Krieger allegedly told him, “We all make choices,” the suit says. After Kenney told Krieger that he couldn’t keep working nights and weekends, she reported him to the headmaster “while a single, female teacher faced no scrutiny when she refused to coach a third season.”

Kenney's suit seeks unspecified damages.

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Posted in: education,employment,lawsuits,NYC

PENNSYLVANIA: Governor Tom Corbett Backs LGBT Anti-Discrimination Bill

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, who so far had been no friend to the gay community, has backed a bill that would protect LGBT residents from discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations.

Corbett, who has previously staked out conservative positions on social issues, told The Inquirer that he was "coming out in support" of the bill after learning that federal law does not cover discrimination in the state. "I've had people come and talk to me about how they were discriminated against," said Corbett, who served for eight years as the state's attorney general. "The federal government has antidiscrimination laws. I believed they covered it." Corbett's support of legislation that has languished in the General Assembly for a decade is viewed by many advocates as a major step forward on a civil rights issue. "This is remarkably big news," said Ted Martin, executive director of Equality Pennsylvania, a statewide gay rights advocacy group. "His leadership will move the issue forward in a way that is long overdue."

Corbett says he's has not changed his mind about same-sex marriage, which he infamously compared to incest during an interview earlier this year.

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Posted in: employment,GOP,housing,LGBT rights,pennsylvania,public accommodations,Tom Corbett

Apple CEO: We Must Pass ENDA

Apple CEO Tim Cook, who is reportedly gay but has not publicly come out, endorsed the passage of ENDA during a speech at Auburn University.

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Posted in: Apple,employment,ENDA,Tim Cook

Shreveport Passes LGBT Protections

Via Equality Louisiana:

Today, the Shreveport City Council passed the Shreveport Fairness Ordinance with a vote of 6-1. In Louisiana, and 29 other states, there are no state or federal protections in place to prevent someone from being fired, evicted or denied service just because of who they are or who they love. The Shreveport Fairness Ordinance prevents discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in employment, housing and public spaces. People Acting for Change and Equality (P.A.C.E.), a local organization that works to advance equality in Northwest Louisiana, led the Be Fair Shreveport effort. They are excited to become the only city in Louisiana, other than New Orleans, that has an inclusive nondiscrimination ordinance.

With a population of 200,000, Shreveport is Louisiana's third-largest city.

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Posted in: employment,housing,LGBT rights,Louisiana

Unemployment Hits Five-Year Low

Via the New York Times:

The jobs picture brightened in November as hiring in the United States was stronger than expected and the unemployment rate fell to a five-year low, data that increases the likelihood that the Federal Reserve will begin easing its stimulus efforts sooner, rather than later. In November, the jobless rate dropped to 7 percent. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg before the Labor Department announcement had expected an increase of 185,000 jobs, with the unemployment rate falling by 0.1 percentage point to 7.2 percent. Payrolls are tracked using data gathered from employers, while the unemployment rate is based on a separately survey of households.

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Posted in: economy,employment,unemployment