Man fired for being gay dared by former boss to sue

[meegbear]

A Tennessee man said Thursday that he was weighing his legal options after being fired from a Nashville-area hotel specifically for being gay.

"They literally said to me that because of my orientation and my 'alternative lifestyle' that I was not a fit for the hotel," said David Hill, formerly the director of human resources for the former Brentwood Holiday Inn (currently doing business as ARTE' Hotel, with no connection to the Holiday Inn chain). "(Tarun Surti, the hotel's owner) said, 'I don't give a damn. They can sue me. I will not have any of 'the gay leadership role' in my hotel.' And that's a quote."

Mr. Hill has filed complaints with the EEOC and Department of Labor, and is currently in talks with the ACLU, Tennessee Equality Project and the Tennessee Labor Board about pursuing legal action.

"The owner, Mr. Surti, comes from a culture that is not very tolerant to the gay lifestyle," added assistant general manager Leonard Stoddard, who was ordered to dismiss Hill, "and therefore he felt it necessary to have him removed from the workforce at the property."

<snip>

http://pageoneq.com/news/2008/Man_fired_for_being_gay_dared_by_former_boss_to_sue..._so_he_d_0109.html

[xchrom]

1. recommend that is the right thing to do. nt

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. Thanks for the name of the hotel

As a consumer, I can decide not to patronize the place, and will encourage others not to do so either.

[grace0418]

3. I wish I could say that I'll never stay in that hotel. I mean it's true, but based on

it's website, I would've never selected that hotel in the first place. Still, I may just write them a note to tell them that they will never see my business.

[Hepburn]

4. I wonder how the asshole owner feels about....

...blacks, women, the elderly, etc.

:puke:

[CurtEastPoint]

7. Tell the owner what you think. You can be anonymous! go here...

http://www.artehotels.com/contact.php

[grace0418]

5. They have no reviews on Tripadvisor.com. That's where I look before I book a hotel

anywhere. That's pretty telling right there.

[RufusTFirefly]

6. Don't worry. I'm sure it's just "symbolic."

You know, like the "symbolic" invocation that Rick Warren will be delivering.

:sarcasm:

[Sub Atomic]

8. The shitty thing about it is that there are no laws against it.

In Tennessee, as in Federal law, there are no protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation.

That's another one of those pet issues of ours that we just have to keep waiting on. Hopefully someday the straights who get to decide what our rights are will get around to fixing that one.

I the meantime, we just have to sit and wait.

[NashVegas]

9. There May Be Other Ways to Hurt the Guy

He runs an "incubator" for bio-tech start ups, apparently.

[Jamastiene]

10. He should file criminal charges based on the 14th Amendment,

get Gloria Allred and any other great high profile attorneys out there he can find...

and take it all the way to the US Supreme Court.

Enough is enough.

Equal rights under the law HAS to be set as a precedent. Otherwise, we'll always have to fight for every little scrap we can get with no leg to stand on.

[queerart]

11. Where The Hell Are The Apologists Now That Mr. Surti Needs Them?

Especially "The Queer Defenders"(whom I hold more contempt for than the straights that snicker when these thing happen)......


Why are the same Queer folks that believe giving Warren a national platform is a good thing for the GLBTQ community not speaking up for Mr Surti?


Are those Queer Crickets I Hear Chirping?

[Fearless]

13. Sorry I was busy.

What do you need to know?


Edit: On Warren and Policy, IMO... http://unwilling-dystopia.blogspot.com/2009/01/rev-warren-and-policy.html

[queerart]

14. Ummmm... Glad You Checked In, As I Was Really Getting Worried.....

The topic is a Gay man being fired for being who he is.....


How do you feel about that?

[Fearless]

15. I think...

That arguing on the grounds of Warren is a non-sequitur argument. Of course the man should not have to put up with that. Of course, it is completely wrong and vile and disgusting. But that doesn't connect to the Warren pick IMO anymore than saying picking a black president makes up for racism for example. Just my opinion.

[queerart]

16. Hummmmmm......

I will start by saying that I will try to answer (your post, and your typed thoughts since you included a link to be clear on your position)..... and I'll try to be coherent in doing so.


It strikes me as "more than odd" that one bigot is elevated with platitudes of atonement to "not such a bad guy" (because he has treated other groups, "namely women" much worse than Queers)... while yet another bigot has his chops busted as being "vile and disgusting"? They both are agents of intolerance, and hate..... and that's without a doubt in anyone's mind...


I mean even for someone whom is an advocate of Warren's, it appears you still.... (however begrudgingly) agree that he is "sort of a bigot"... but that the GLBTQ community should and (better) shut up, and move on for unity's sake. However the really cool thing about being me is...... I don't need another's yard stick to measure, nor their permission to quantify my anger about this situation, or anything else that I might have an opinion about.


I can however appreciate that in the "Suspension Of Disbelief World", you don't have to tolerate dissenting views..... and are able to simply make any perceived ugliness disappear by deleting posts... (it brings to mind the present President). But inserting a finger into ones own ear, and singing La, La, La, La, La, La.... won't change the facts, nor the sentiment of the Queer community as to the situation.... again, I can appreciate your allegiance to Warren, but I'm sure many can hardly understand it.


The grand experiment of "shutting up for unity's sake" doesn't, (and has never) worked. Thankfully there have always been "Nonconforming Queers", or the GLBTQ community would not enjoy the "limited rights" we have today. So to champion unquestioning blind allegiance to "anyone, or anything for any reason" is to throw shit in the face of our Queer forefathers who's shoulders we stand on today. I do ponder how the protection of Warren that you appear to display as a "Badge Of Honor" would be received by older Queers who really did fight tooth, and nail so we would have an easier time today, then what they had in the past.....


I can understand, (and I accept mind you) the fervent devotion that Obama has among his electorate..... But that in no way elevates him to be above reproach concerning questions pertaining to ANYTHING..... which includes, but is not limited to.... Warren, taxes, or even NAFTA for that matter. It puts me in mind of a neighbor that literately showed up at my door with a blank stare, and glassy eyes (complete with a hand written invitation) to drop by her home and have a few "nibbles" while watching Obama on tv. Needless to say I backed away from the door slowly, and was a no show...... as I find the Deity Worship of Obama unsettling at best.


Now, is Obama better a choice than McCain? I have no doubt that he most likely is..... But since the canonization of Obama appears to be pretty far off down the road.... (and at the moment he still inhabits a mere mortal body)...... "scrutiny, and questions" are fair game...... not unlike any other President, at any other time in the history of the United States, about any other issue that has faced some sector of the population.


So is the Warren issue, and the fact that a Gay man was fired for just being who he is connected? You bet! At best it is an "accustomed atmosphere of disrespect" for a certain group of people...... at worst... the words intolerance, and hate jump quickly to the forefront..... and for anyone that tries (Straight or Queer) to belittle the concerns of a community about such issues (whether the matter be real, or simply perceived) is wired way past ballsy......


Just My Opinion......

[MNBrewer]

12. I wonder if PE Obama's administration

will prevent Federal monies from going to businesses with owners like this?

<http://www.artecenter.org/index.php?method=AnnouncementDetail&Aid=8>