Have you or a friend ever been fired from your job for being gay?

[bluestateguy]

I know one man who is an independent contractor, and because of this he kept quiet about his sexual orientation; then some tool leaked the word in his conservative community, and it cost him a lot of business.

[Kurt Remarque]

1. fired, no - ridiculed, yes

not pretty

[dickthegrouch]

2. Being outspoken has saved my job twice

I refused to go down without a fight and, at each of two companies, my willingness to stand up for myself turned the tables in my favor.

The first was a false accusation of sexual harassment. The accuser ended up being fired and I received a formal apology.

The second was as the result of a very bigoted message on a (global company's) workplace bulletin board. I spent a couple of days crafting a response to it which I then took to local HR for 'approval' before posting. (it would have been the equivalent of a contentious post here on DU, except the company was not particularly gay-friendly at the time). HR took my complaint and my response and sent them farther in the company than I would ever have believed possible.
(On edit - I didn't explain why it saved my job)
Had I merely posted the reply without going to HR, I would have lost my job, for violating the terms of use of the bulletin board - job-relevant stuff only - just as the original poster was.

[roguevalley]

3. I am single and because I was it was assumed I was lesbian even

though I am not. I have deep sympathies with those who are and are persecuted and those who aren't who also get persecuted.

[teenagebambam]

4. Not fired....

...but I'm sure I have not been offered work because of it. (I'm a singer that does a lot of Church gigs. All of a sudden the Baptist churches in town stopped calling, and I'm pretty sure I can trace it back to a single Facebook post)

[sui generis]

5. very early in my career I worked at H.D.Vest

yes, I'll name names.

A long time ago I wrote trading desk software for the company, on contract, and had rave reviews for the software and from my peers. One day out of the blue I got called into the CFO's office, got handed a big fat check and signed a hold harmless agreement to just "walk away". Because they were just on the verge of filing Chapter 11 and it seemed to be amicable, if somewhat puzzling, I was never really certain until the same CFO came calling to me on a business deal in 2004, and fessed up over a dinner meeting and a bit too much wine.

Things not to do when asking Sui for money:

1. forget that he used to work for you, and
2. tell him that back in the 90's your company purged all the gays and anyone they thought might be gay.

You know, I really do relish being evil when the opportunity presents itself and it's absolutely justifiable - so the rest of the dinner was spent toying with him telling him what great plans I had for our partnership, and then suddenly remembering after dessert that I used to work for H.D. Vest. Back in the 90's.

:evilgrin:

[closeupready]

6. I have never gone to any lengths to hide my sexuality, and

resolved early on never to take a job at a homophobic organization - I even walked out on a job once when the manager let loose a blue streak about 'fags this' and 'faggot that'.

So no, every company I ever worked at was, if anything, at the cutting edge of having very pro-GLBT policies. During this 2nd Depression, people clearly won't feel like they have the luxury of shopping around for 'the right fit', though, so I can sympathize with people who are being persecuted for their sexual orientation. :(

[Hassin Bin Sober]

7. I'm pretty sure my ex-boyfriend was fired because his company found out.

He worked for a Chicago based bond wholesaler that was eventually sold and moved to Wheaton Illinois. For people not familiar with Illinois, Wheaton is a big bible thumping town/area. The new owners were devout Christians yada yada yada.

Anyway, my boyfriend and I were at a party in the city when we ran in to his inside sales/assistant. Figuring the gig was up, my boyfriend fessed up. The reasoning was, the assistant, who had worked for my boyfriend prior to the move and not part of the new management, was "enlightened." After all, he was hanging out at a mixed party.

Within a week, my boyfriend was called in to the CFO's office and let go because "they were not happy with his services."


Guess who got a promotion.

[HillWilliam]

8. I have

I worked for a large multivalue software company and got transferred to the R&D section in Santa Ana. That portion of the company was full of fundigelicals who were upset at having an out gay man in their midst. How dare I invade them behind the Orange Curtain. I was fired on a pretense and later one of my friends there let me know it was a total setup and who did it. Yeah, it hurt... but:

I've always said the best revenge is living well. I got a call from their biggest competitor within a week or two. Even though it was pretty soon that both companies folded, I got a contract to work for Perot Systems in Richardson for a few years and was able to keep my dignity and career intact. The fundigelicals? Still in nowheresville. Piss on 'em.

The day I interviewed for the job I'm currently in (seven years now), I laid it all on the table. If my orientation mattered, then I'd be glad to keep looking. I spent too many years trying to genderfuck conversations with coworkers and it just doesn't fly with me any more. When my husbear and I had our holy union this last November, two of my coworkers showed up in support. Now, how cool was that.

In my spare time, I'm a wedding officiant. I don't hide my orientation, nor do I make a big deal of it either. I'm not looking for d*ck, I'm looking to do creative writing and make a little pin-money to get my partner's and my green-farm going. I do my job and I get good referrals; that should be sufficient. If someone doesn't like my practice, they don't have to hire me. I stay busy enough doing weddings for mixed couples and unions for gay couples. I figure if folks can't figure it all out from my Facebook page (it's in my DU profile) and my web site, then they ain't lookin'.

[rantormusing]

9. I didn't get a promotion because of it.

The female boss wanted someone who could flirt and play.