[Vision2020] Bush Allows Workers to Be Fired for Being Gay

[Ron Force]

http://www.misleader.org/daily_mislead/Read.asp?fn=df03202004.html

BUSH ALLOWS GAYS TO BE FIRED FOR BEING GAY

Despite President Bush's pledge that homosexuals "ought to have the same
rights" (1) as all other
people, his Administration this week ruled that homosexuals can now be fired
from the federal
workforce because of their sexual orientation.

According to the Federal Times, the president's appointee at the Office of
Special Counsel ruled
that federal employees will now "have no recourse if they are fired or
demoted simply for being
gay." (2) While the Bush Administration says it is legally prohibited from
firing a person for
their conduct, they have the legal right to fire or demote someone based on
their sexual
orientation. To carry out the directive, the White House has begun removing
information from
government websites about sexual orientation discrimination in the
workplace. (3)

Not only does the new directive contradict the president's own promise to
treat homosexuals as
equals under the law, but it also contradicts what the Administration told
Congress. As noted in a
bipartisan letter from four Senators to the Administration, "During the
confirmation process [of
the president's appointee], you assured us that you were committed to
protecting federal employees
against unlawful discrimination related to their sexual orientation." (4)

Sources:
   1.  Debates, 10/11/2000
   2. "OSC to study whether bias law covers gays", Federal Times,
03/15/2004,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1247108&l=23802
   3. "Gay Rights Information Taken Off Site", Washington Post, 02/18/2004,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1247108&l=23803
   4. "Special Counsel Under Scrutiny", Washington Post, 02/23/2004,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1247108&l=23804

Visit Misleader.org for more about Bush Administration distortion:
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1247108&l=23805

Subscribe to the Daily Mislead! Go to http://www.misleader.org and enter
your e-mail address in
the "Receive the Daily Mislead" box in the top-left corner of the page.