Ford Worker Fired For Anti-Gay Comment Sues For Religious Discrimination

[chrystal]

Ford Worker Fired For Anti-Gay Comment Sues For Religious Discrimination

 

 

Kate Abbey-LambertzDetroit Editor, The Huffington Post

 

 

A former Ford Motor Co. engineer says in a lawsuit that the automaker violated his religious freedom when it fired him for posting an anti-gay comment on the company website.  

Thomas Banks, of Michigan, describes himself in a federal lawsuit filed Friday as a Christian who worked for Ford on assignment to Rapid Global Business Solutions for three years. A year ago, Banks commented on a Ford intranet article celebrating the 20th anniversary of GLOBE, a group fostering an inclusive workplace for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees, saying Ford has no place promoting sodomy or “immoral sexual conduct†and should be “thoroughly ashamed.†Banks claimed the article was an assault on his religious beliefs.

“And yes -- this is historic -- but not in a good way,†Banks wrote. “Never in the history of mankind has a culture survived that promotes sodomy. Heterosexual behavior creates life -- homosexual behavior leads to death.†The article -- which does not address sodomy or other sex acts -- is still online, though no comments are visible to the public.

Nearly two weeks later, supervisors from both companies told Banks his comments violated Ford’s anti-harassment policy and fired him. The companies “acted intentionally out of malice or reckless disregard of Banks’ federally protected rights,†the lawsuit alleges.

Ford and Rapid Global Business Solutions weren't immediately available for comment. The companies haven't yet answered the lawsuit in court. 

 Banks earlier filed a claim with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which declined to pursue it. At the time, Ford said in a statement that the matter is "ultimately between the individual and their agency employer," Rapid Global Business Solutions. The lawsuit says Banks was legally an employee of both companies.

In testimony before the EEOC, included in the federal complaint, Rapid Global Business Solutions supervisor Kelsey Rossey acknowledged that Banks’ comment was an expression of his religious convictions, but “the tone of the comment … was discrimination in and of itself and that’s not something that we can protect.â€

According to the lawsuit, Banks supports a diverse and inclusive workplace.

“Banks respects others, even those who disagree with him, as he has throughout his career, and merely hopes for the same respect in turn,†the complaint says.

Banks seeks damages for religious discrimination and retaliation under federal civil rights law as well as Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, which prohibits employers from firing or otherwise discriminating against individuals because of “religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, height, weight, or marital status.â€

Sexual orientation and gender expression are not protected classes under the state law, despite frequent attempts to amend it. An individual in Michigan who is fired for being gay would have no legal recourse, unlike Banks.

 

 

 

 

[MermaidPrincess]

u weren't fired for your religion, u were fired for publicly being a bigot 

 

[......]

but he's not being fired for his religion....

 

he's being fired for inappropriate and unnecessary commentary, that reflects poorly upon the company (companies) he's employed by, and that are also contrary to his employer's policies.

[MermaidPrincess]

i cant @ these people acting like theyre oppressed because their discrimination is not being tolerated.

 

how ironic

 

[Medoner]

lmao he should just cut this "religious discrimination" bullshit. he said something that is hateful and clearly against Ford's anti-harassment policy, so he has just himself to blame for signing a contract that he didn't agree with and ultimately getting fired.

[Unnie-chan]

Where does he mention religion? The issue is his publicly degrading comments.

[Latteâ„“ove]

His lawsuit is irrelevant because he discriminated first. Also "Heterosexual behavior creates life - homosexual behavior leads to death" while only having sex between a male and female can make a baby it isn't like we need more people on this planet (and certainly not more who think like him) but to say homosexual behavior leads to death is just false, even if he meant it as a species since we have more than enough people having babies to sustain ourselves and more.

[chrystal]

u weren't fired for your religion, u were fired for publicly being a bigot 

 

 

 

but he's not being fired for his religion....

 

he's being fired for inappropriate and unnecessary commentary, that reflects poorly upon the company (companies) he's employed by, and that are also contrary to his employer's policies.

 

 

lmao he should just cut this "religious discrimination" bullshit. he said something that is hateful and clearly against Ford's anti-harassment policy, so he has just himself to blame for signing a contract that he didn't agree with and ultimately getting fired.

 

This pretty much.

 

Find it pretty scary though that he might win because of the laws in Michigan (at least that is how I understood the last part of the article).

[chrystal]

His lawsuit is irrelevant because he discriminated first. Also "Heterosexual behavior creates life - homosexual behavior leads to death" while only having sex between a male and female can make a baby it isn't like we need more people on this planet (and certainly not more who think like him) but to say homosexual behavior leads to death is just false, even if he meant it as a species since we have more than enough people having babies to sustain ourselves and more.

 

Also if the human race was about to go extinct and for some reason there were only homosexuals left I'm sure they'd work it out somehow. It's not like being gay or lesbian makes a person infertile.

[♥SNS-Shinomiya♥]

hmm doesn't sound like you were fired for religion but if anything antagonistic comments which cause a problem in the work place. Its not like he said I am a Christian and don't believe being gay blah blah blah. But he purposefully and not even nicely was trying to be antagonistic from what I see. Tone is the key word to all of this.

 

 

 

Also if the human race was about to go extinct and for some reason there were only homosexuals left I'm sure they'd work it out somehow. It's not like being gay or lesbian makes a person infertile.

    also being gay doesn't mean you can't sleep with the opposite sex to have children if we are using that scenario

[hot toe picker]

It takes a special kind of stupidity to rag on the company that's employing you on the company website.....................

[Latteâ„“ove]

Also if the human race was about to go extinct and for some reason there were only homosexuals left I'm sure they'd work it out somehow. It's not like being gay or lesbian makes a person infertile.

Lol seriously if the human race were to go extinct it would not be from a lack of heterosexuals.  But if they did somehow "convert" everyone else to be gay/lesbian like some homophobics tend to think they will or if somehow homosexuals became the norm like you said there are still plenty of ways to make babies without having to identify as heterosexual.

[Myth]

A former Ford Motor Co. engineer says in a lawsuit that the automaker violated his religious freedom when it fired him for posting an anti-gay comment on the company website.

I stopped reading here. He's going to lose the case.

[delirium]

for posting an anti-gay comment on the company website.  

I stopped reading here. He's going to lose the case.

[mochichan]

Heterosexual behavior creates life -- homosexual behavior leads to death.â€

Yeah we have 7 billion people that are eating up earth resources...we don't really need anymore babies right now. And I'm not going to go gay just bc others are born gay so you don't have to worry reproduction, especially when you can do it scientifically anyway so their sexual preference doesn't mean they can't reproduce anymore

 

 

He can spew that stuffs on his SNS if he want but he chose to put it ok the company website...so no lol it's not a matter of religion here

[green]

I'm Christian myself but his claim is all kinds of wrong.

 

"..Homosexual behavior leads to death.."? Religion has led to death too, many times in the past.

 

He has violated both Ford company's policy and the other company was legally wronged too. I hope he loses the case.

[Jessicaberry]

All I'm gonna say is that Jesus loves everyone and does not appreciate people acting this way in his name

[......]

Also if the human race was about to go extinct and for some reason there were only homosexuals left I'm sure they'd work it out somehow. It's not like being gay or lesbian makes a person infertile.

 

this!

 

i never understand this ...logic... that homophobic people use... about this extreme "what if" scenario...where the human race was going extinct and gay people thwarted the efforts of repopulating.

 

It's not as if homosexuals are incapable...not just of conceiving...but having hetero-sex....

My favourite part about it though... is that...these same people who complain that homosexuals destroy civilisation because they don't procreate.... will complain when two lesbians pay for IVF...and/or a gay man wants to donates sperm to a bank.