Massachusetts Man Fired for Telling Colleague Her Gay Marriage Is Wrong

Here's my issue with this situation.. All of you people who are screaming about first amendment violations are hypocrites. I don't think that anyone really believes that you should be able to say whatever you want, whenever you want, and however you want to say it. If that were the case then sexual harassment laws wouldn't exist because it would be argued that it is the right of the harasser to make sexual comments toward his coworker. I think that bragging about your marriage is a common place activity in the workplace. I have worked with many women who have gushed about their wedding from the time they got the ring on their finger till they walk down the aisle and beyond. No one says anything about that practice when it's a heterosexual couple, but its wrong for a gay couple to do it? I agree with the pp that said it doesn't matter if he was baited or not, what he said was extremely negative and inappropriate. If he really felt that strongly about not wanting to hear about her marriage, all he had to say was "I really don't care to hear about your wedding/marriage. I know that you are excited about it but I'm not." or something to that effect. He really didn't have to make it about religion or sexual orientation or whatever.

Whether or not he was "baited" is such a non-issue. Conversation will undoubtedly go to places you're uncomfortable when at work. But having a particular job isn't a privilege, and when confronted with ideas that oppose your own in the restricted atmosphere of your work, you have to deal. It comes with being professional. He's screwed himself by going public with this. He does not look good.

So she can impose her beliefs on him with no retribution, but he gets fired for stating his. Either they should both be fired or neither. You do not have special rights because you are gay.

For those complaining about 1st amendment violations...

No one is preventing Vidala from setting up on a sidewalk with a bullhorn and proclaiming that homosexuality is 'bad stuff'. He was fired for harassing an employee at work.

Similarly, someone at work may complain to HR about curse words being said (happened to me recently). I still have the 1st amendment right to shout curse words on the sidewalk anytime I want. I just can't do it at work because it violates corporate policy.

On a personal note...I believe that in 30 years or so history will look back at those with Vidala's point of view in a negative light; similar to the way we now look back at civil rights and interracial marriage.

Was this a personal conversation? Did she know he was a jerk? Folks, don't talk your business to a jerk.

just ban talking in the workplace. these people both sound like jackasses.

homosexual couples should have the same rights as heterosexual couples, no matter what you call it. that's not religion, it's public law. i don't think he should have been fired for speaking his mind, though. it doesn't sound like he was trying to insult his coworker.

if we don't have the right to disagree in a civil manner, then we may as well move back into caves and start grunting again.

I think God wants him to shut the hell up and mind his own damn business.

Must obey...........must never speak my opinion...........must NEVER disagree with the politically correct. HR nightmare? How so? Because he gave his opinion, and was fed up with her talking about her partner constantly? Free speech is under attack by the Left.

If Vidala had only been employed there for a few weeks and had already been reported for harassment of which he didn't necessarily deny (just the wording of the statement). Then Brookstone acted quite sensibly. He sounds like an HR nightmare.

What a dumbass! Hopefully dumbshit will learn to keep his piehole shut in the future.

This is probably a very personal issue for this douche because he has been cursed with that gayface. Poor thing.

Will someone explain how "love the sinner, hate the sin" ISN'T just some fundamentalist Christian PC way of imposing your beliefs on others and feeling justified in doing so?

He openly admits the use of the word deviant, he just claims his meaning was nicer... When basically his meaning is exacty the same as it normally is. He was a fool and he paid for it. Hopefully the twit will learn from this and move on. Would that dicks on forums and messages boards who post so much about how gays are bad would suffer similar swift justuce.

Yes, people have freedom of speech. But your boss also has the freedom to fire your ass for being unprofessional (and being a complete asshole).
Hey Peter, regarding your religion, I think that's bad stuff.

Quote from Websters Dictonary...."Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak without censorship and\or limitation. The synonymous term freedom of expression is sometimes used to indicate not only freedom of verbal speech but any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, REGARDLESS of the medium used."

I don't think the first amendment was created to allow people to say whatever they want whenever they want. I'm pretty sure the intent was to protect our right to criticize our own government and protest peacefully. Correct me if I'm wrong.

So he was being a dick and offering an unsolicited opinion about someone's fitness to be married. That's unprofessional.

"Regarding your homosexuality, I think that's bad stuff."
"Vidala disputes using the words "deviant" and "immoral" during conversations with human resources employees on the matter."

Though he didn't use the words deviant and immoral itself, he basically implied it by saying that her homosexuality was "bad stuff." In the workplace, it is suppose to be a safe environment where people are able to work. That is why they don't allow people to bring religious objects, wear or say obscene statements, and the list goes on.

I can see the arguments for both side about whether or not this is a violation of the first amendment. This is a difficult situation, especially on private property and policies such as keeping a safe working environment. After debating, I don't think it is a violation of the first amendment. He is entitled and allowed to voice his opinions. But outside of the work area. If he was off from his shift and he confront the woman in public, then he would be allowed to say what he wanted to say.

Clash of the civil rights. Free speech vs workplace sexual harassment rules.
I say the latter wins, though maybe they could have counseled on how to act if he wants to keep his job. They may have tried to and failed. He sounds like a bonehead, though I can't say for certain. It's not acceptable, free speech or not, to tell a fellow worker or subordinate that there morals are deviant for being in a gay relationship. It's not the fifties anymore, Dorothy.
Free speech does not trump all. Limbaugh learned it the hard way, why shouldn't this guy, if the story is straight up?

"he couldn't feel happy for her" - sums it all up right there.

I can't possibly think of a save item that I could bring up to someone in the workplace, who had the power to fire me, where I could say "regarding your X, I think that is bad stuff."

if X =

sense of style
work ethic
opinion of any kind
house
family
religion
attitude
etc.

then your ass is fired.

"By the fourth time she mentioned it, I felt God wanted me to express how I felt about the matter, so I did."

Uh, he may have been fired because his imaginary friend makes him express sentiment in his name. For some reason, I have a funny feeling that this was not an isolated incident of god making him say something.

"Freedom of speech doesn't give people leave to inflict people with a moral lecure on something that only does harm to certain sensibilities."

Umm, actually it does. However, not in the work place.

Had he been fired for verbally comdemning a colleague's interracial marriage, nobody would give him any sympathy what so ever.

Freedom of speech doesn't give people leave to inflict people with a moral lecure on something that only does harm to certain sensibilities. He wasn't merely stating his opinion in forum, but stating it in a manner and enironment that is quite clearly likely to create conflict in the workplace. It's not only stupid, but innconsiderate too.

When are people going to realize that sharing your religious beliefs are better left unsaid at your job or outside your personal life?

I can't believe he used God as a reference to say "I felt God wanted me to express how I felt about the matter" You dumb ass!! LOL...

So now we can be fired for stating an opinion. I thought the Bill of Rights protected freedom of speech, especially when that speech is the sincere and rational statement of one's opinion. It is no wonder that the conservative community feels as if the homosexual community has an "agenda" when gays can express their joy but heterosexuals cannot disagree.

Freedom of Speech is a two-edged sword, and our society has apparently become too bigoted to tolerate disagreement with the mob. This entire situation sounds to me like an incident right out of Orwell's 1984, a fictional world where groupspeak and groupthink rule, unfettered by reason.

I fully support the rights of gays to marry and live in true freedom. It is incumbent upon gays to grant others that same liberty.