A Tennessee man has just filed a federal lawsuit against his former employer alleging that he was fired for being gay.
Until recently, James Thompson (pictured) worked as a staffing coordinator for Maryland-based Abacus Corporation, where he said he never had any problems with his supervisors.
“Never been written up, never been put on probation,” Thompson told WSMV-TV.
Related: Guess What? You Can No Longer Be Fired For Being Gay Anywhere In America.
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Then in June, there was an incident with another employee who launched into a homophobic tirade at the office. According to Thompson, the employee unleashed a string of nasty comments about same-sex marriage to some of his co-workers. When Thompson confronted him about it, the employee made a scene, cursing at him and storming out of the building. As a result, Thompson fired him.
Days later, Thompson’s boss, Abacus VP Bill Lund, flew down to Nashville to meet with him about what happened.
“After that meeting he actually asked me if I was gay,” Thompson recalled. “And the following working day he terminated me.”
Thompson is now seeking $400,000 in damages from his former employer. He says he also hopes his story will raise awareness to about how many LGBTQ employees are still treated in the workplace.
“What I want to see come out of this is for the discrimination to stop,” he said. “Not just for gays, bisexuals, lesbians, all discrimination.”
Tennessee law does not prohibit discrimination of the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Abacus is remaining tight-lipped about the incident, though the company did release the following statement in response:
It is Abacus Corporation policy not to comment on the facts relating to pending litigation. Abacus firmly believes Mr. Thompson’s allegations are without merit and will be proven to be mere fabrications. Abacus is extremely confident it will be fully exonerated in this matter.
Related: Five Reasons Why Marriage Equality Isn’t The Be All And End All Of The Fight
Brian JC Kneeland
Too bad he wasn’t in Maryland – because that kind of firing is illegal here!
Marylou Porter
Disgusting. If he does his job, his life style should be irrelevant. Just saying!!!!!
Glücklich
I’d never heard of Abacus but a quick glance suggests it’s kinda like CINTAS, Adecco, Kelly, or Randstad.
They’ve done themselves no favors but it’s in kind of a tough space to boycott.
Good luck to Mr. Thompson.
Kangol
@Marylou Porter: It’s a life, not a lifestyle! Why does this site draw so many hom0phobic trolls?
This man’s plight points to a basic fact: there are no civil protections for lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender people in a MAJORITY OF US STATES.
That’s right. You can now get married–the white Christian fanatical anti-gay pols and officials like Kim Davis excepted–in all 50 states, but you can still be fired, prevented from renting an apartment, have your children taken from you, etc., because you are gay or thought to be gay, bi, trans, in a majority of states. We need a federal non-discrimination law to protect LGBTIQ lives.
Don’t believe me? Here’s proof: Human Rights Campaign: Support the Equality Act
Merv
Not only is anti-gay discrimination legal under Tennessee state law, but the state made it illegal for cities and counties to enact local anti-discrimination laws.
Curty
@Marylou Porter: Lifestyle? Let me ask you, what is your lifestyle? Ignorance? Jackass?
BigG
He should have record the conversation and had witnesses.your phone is a great piece of tech. This day n age, you need that voice recorder and camera. Otherwise it’s your word against theirs. They usually always win
derektheactor
okay guys, how about we pull our heads out of our asses and read @marylou porter’s entire comment instead of just focusing on the phrase “lifestyle”. context does, in fact matter. her comment was that this man being fired was disgusting. never everyone can be a queer studies major, and YES we can have allies that aren’t in the community and know preferred vernacular. get it together people!
jwtraveler
@Kangol: @Curty: Do you realize you attacked Marylou Porter, who was expressing support for Mr. Thompson, because she used a word you dislike in expressing that approval? Looks like you guys are the real ignorant jackasses.
jwtraveler
I’m shocked, shocked I say, to learn that the SCOTUS gay marriage ruling has not eliminated homophobia and solved all our problems. What have we been advocating for all these years?
Kangol
@jwtraveler: You’re a jackass for calling someone else one. There is no gay “lifestyle.” We’re living gay LIVES. There’s a difference. Allyship does not excuse ignorance.
Curty
@jwtraveler: please shut up. You made no sense at all.
captainburrito
If it is legal to fire him in that state then how can he win? Gonna end up with alot of legal costs.
Chris
A staffing coordinator fires someone who makes homophobic comments in the workplace because said former-employee made a scene when confronted. My own guess would be that the staffing coordinator got fired as a preemptive move to prevent the company’s being sued by said former employee or for some other “reason” involving his over-stepping his authority. If this company’s staff manual has nothing about gay folk being a protected group (TN? guess what I’d pick), it would be easy for the company to argue that the staffing coordinator had acted on his own without following proper HR procedures.
Years ago when I worked elsewhere, a supervisor and his staff were fighting about his management style. An older (and wiser) colleague of mine said that “when dogs and cats fight, sometimes the owners decide to not have any pets.” And sure enough, both parties ended up losing their jobs.
Bottom line: this shows how much work we have to do.
verylittlegravitasindeed
@Kangol: Ease up…she’s not being homophobic. Her comment was, in essence, supportive, just a poor word choice. Don’t alienate allies. A simple reply to her comment, pointing out that it’s not a lifestyle would have been sufficient. Lowering yourself to name calling, like Donald Trump, muddies the issue and just lowers our credibility as a group.
jwtraveler
@Kangol: @Curty: It’s pointless to try to argue with stupidity. Why do I bother?
jwtraveler
@captainburrito: I’m not a legal expert, but for reference you should read the current story about the Alabama trans employee who won her discrimination suit.
Dakotahgeo
I’d say about $8M would be about right for the bastard corporation! These unintelligent political sluts will just neva learn unless they get hit in the pocketbook!