Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell gets fresh life today. And it’s not a military matter.
A number of shareholders will tomorrow ask the board of Well Fargo to remove sexual orientation from their anti-discrimination policy. Rather than railing entirely against “gay sins,” as Ken Hutcherson did against Microsoft, these clever little homophobes insist that “gay” can’t be seen, like race, and therefore fagalas should just keep a lid on it:
Whereas, it is similarly inappropriate and legally problematic for employees to discuss personal sexual matters while on the job.
Whereas, unlike the issues of race, age, gender and certain physical disabilities, it would be impossible to discern a person’s sexual orientation from their appearance.
Whereas, unless an employee chooses to talk about their sexual interests or activities while working, the issue of sexual orientation is, essentially, moot.
…
Whereas, the Armed Forces of the United States is one of the largest and most diverse organizations in the world. They protect the security of us all while adhering to a “don’t ask, don’t tell policy” regarding sexual interests.
You can be sure, of course, that the shareholders’ resolution brings up a bit of Biblical reference, saying that all three major religions “condemn” gay ways.
This isn’t the first time Well Fargo has felt the anti-gay backlash. Focus On The Family ended their business relations in 2005 after the bank contributed dough to GLAAD, which the Christian right basically regards as a Satanic covenant.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Thom
Another not so clever attempt by our “friends” from the Right, trying to suppress the inevitable civil rights of LGBT people in this world. Their hatred is disgusting.
tb
I wonder if it’s a coincidence that these wingnuts picked a bank headquartered in San Francisco for this action? If you look at the HRC’s Corporate Equality Index, banking as an industry has an average score of 91/100, which is quite high–81/100 is the average of all companies. Further, EVERY bank included bans sexual orientation discrimination.
This resolution is not mainstream, and it has very low odds of passing. Despite all of the protests of fringe Christian types, corporate America is becoming more and more LGBT friendly (with a few exceptions like Exxon). Wells Fargo itself has a 100% HRC score and is a great company for gays.
REBELComx
While they’re at it. How about they take off the religious part of the anti-discrimination policy? You can’t clearly tell someone is a Christian or a Buddhist or a Jew or a Muslim just by looking at them. Put them in our shoes and see how they walk in them. Damn heels are tricky!
foofyjim
These people are sick, sick and can’t get over the sex. It isn’t all about the sex. (Some of it is about the sex, but not all of it.)
How about the conversation between two co-workers. “What did you do last night Maureen?” asked Jake, the 6’2″ dark and dreamy-eyed banking professional. “Oh, not much. My husband Bob and I just ordered out some Chinese food and watched another episode of Law and Order. You?” queried Maureen. “We didn’t do much either. My partner Frederick and I just whipped up some quiche and spent the evening watching Spartacus.”
There is nothing in that kind of innocuous conversation about sex, just about how people spent their evenings. Jake better watch out though, cause now that he’s outed himself he’s sure to get terminated for being gay!
Tom
This is nothing but election-year pandering to the base. The right-wing loonies and their republican enablers do not have the hot-button gay marriage issue to light a fire under the moronic asses of their believers, so they pick gay equality in employment to try and argue that gays want “special rights.” Be ready for more of this lunacy all the way to November.
emb
Hm. Do let us know how this turns out, please. We’re about to move to California, and Wells Fargo is one of several possible bank choices. This could help make the decision easier, one way or the other.
Paul Raposo
An old–and useless–ploy. Ask a number of anti-gay, anti-choice people to buy one share and then storm the stockholder’s meetings and make demands. Rarely works, except to get free publicity for the group.
Pro Vida Adivsors had a hand in this:
http://www.provitaadvisors.com/
And their success has been sad, really:
http://www.cogforlife.org/provita.htm
http://christiannewswire.com/news/377796207.html
Marco Channing
“Whereas, unless an employee chooses to talk about their sexual interests or activities while working, the issue of sexual orientation is, essentially, moot.”
Because when a heterosexual wears a wedding ring to the office, or has a picture of their girlfriend at the office, or talking about the person they are dating at the office, or mentions that they think brad Pitt is dreamy at the office–none of THAT has to do with sexual orientation.
Paul Raposo
And by their success, I meant their failures. They still believe the toppled Ford Motors.
And I agree with foofyjim; it’s all about sex with these toads.
leomoore
Religion is the thing that should be banned. Religion inevitably leads to evil and hate.
seitan-on-a-stick
Is Wells Fargo still around? I thought it was just a Drag Queen from the Midwest by now…
Uptown James
It won’t happen. Wells Fargo was purchased by Norwest Banks out of Minneapolis, who then adopted the Wells’ name and agreed to have the corporation HQ in SF. Norwest has a very long-standing, strong support of the Gay community, HIV causes, and HRC. These yo-yos will be most unsucessful in making that happen. Given that Wells is one of the few banks that is weathering the current financial storms rather well, the shareholders would be wise to not mess around too much with a management team that is outperforming every one of its competitors.
underbear1
let the bigotry begin….AGAIN
There’s a few problems these “friends” overlook.
1) Americans have freedom of speech and freedom of association.
2) Gay (and straight) relationships are not ONLY sexual, and by merely mentioning your day to day events with a partner, does reveal your orientation, unless these “friends” think pre-stonewall changing pronouns, is the way we are going to live our lives.
3) Who the f*ck asked these “friends” (with WAY too much time on their hands,and no lives of their own) to f*ck with my civil liberies?
underbear1
liberties…typo
LeBain
Do these troglodytes include straight men who wear a wedding ring or who talk about their girlfriend, or biological children, or their wife, or their parents’ marriage, or their disgusting weekend conquest part of emplyees who chose “to talk about their sexual interests or activities while working”? Will they demand straight employees who reveal their heterosexuality be excluded from company benefits?
HATER
“Whereas, unlike the issues of race, age, gender and certain physical disabilities, it would be impossible to discern a person’s sexual orientation from their appearance.”
– UM, have these fools never heard of “gaydar”? I mean, I can pick out most ‘mos from at least 50 yards away.
Konrad
I hope their policy includes transgender rights or NGLTF will join with the fundies against the current policy, just like they did on ENDA.