Court Allows Baptist Children's Home To Fire Lesbian
Chief Thracian
http://www.gaywire.net/newswire/index.cgi?func=show&file=20010725-134524
COURT SAYS STATE-FUNDED KENTUCKY BAPTIST HOMES FOR CHILDREN CAN FIRE
LESBIAN, HIGHLIGHTING DANGER OF BUSH FAITH-BASED PLAN ACLU OF KENTUCKY
July 25, 1901 - 01:45:24PM [US South] News
ACLU of KY Alert: Court allows Baptist Homes Firing of Alicia Pedreira
For immediate release
July 24, 2001
Court Says State-Funded Kentucky Baptist Homes for Children Can Fire
Lesbian, Highlighting Danger of Bush Faith-Based Plan
LOUISVILLE - A federal court today said taxpayer-funded Kentucky
Baptist Homes for Children agency could legally fire a lesbian, in a
decision the American Civil Liberties Union called "a wake-up call"
about the dangers posed by the White House's proposed "faith-based
initiative."
"There can now be no question that if the Bush initiative is passed,
the result will be government-funded discrimination," said Christopher
E. Anders, a Legislative Counsel for the ACLU's national headquarters.
"While we strongly disagree with its finding, the court has confirmed
our worst fears, and said that under current law religious
organizations may discriminate even if they are using tax dollars to
do so."
Anders added that while the Kentucky case is about a lesbian, it could
as easily be about an unmarried pregnant woman or a white employee
whose spouse is African American or an unmarried female employee
living with her boyfriend.
"Kentucky Baptist Homes for Children should play by the same rules
that apply to everyone else receiving taxpayer money," Anders said.
"Instead of responsibly using government money to hire the best
qualified counselor, this agency applied its own discriminatory
criteria -- which meant that the best person lost her job."
Last year, the ACLU filed a federal lawsuit against the Kentucky
Baptist Homes for Children (KBHC) and the State of Kentucky on behalf
of Alicia Pedreira, a top-notch therapist at KBHC who was fired once
KBHC found out she is a lesbian. In a funding relationship that
closely mirrors the White House's proposal, KBHC receives more than
half of its $19 million annual budget from the state.
The ACLU lawsuit contends that KBHC fired Pedreira because her sexual
orientation contradicted the agency's religious beliefs, and made her
incapable of inculcating Baptist views on the children. This was
religious discrimination in violation of state and federal law, the
ACLU said. The lawsuit also argues that Pedreira's firing and the
funding relationship between KBHC and the state violated the
Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
In today's decision on KBHC's motion to dismiss the case, the court
dismissed all of the employment-related claims, but left intact claims
about the funding relationship and provisions of services being
unconstitutional.
The decision comes on the heels of a controversial Congressional
debate in Washington over H.R. 7, legislation to make real President
George W. Bush's "faith-based initiative" to funnel additional public
money into religious organizations and relax existing safeguards that
prevent the money being used for religious purposes or discriminatory
hiring.
While the House ultimately adopted H.R. 7, it only did so after House
leaders were able to quell an uprising among moderate Republicans
concerned about government negotiations with the Salvation Army over
its ability to override state and local laws that provide broader
civil rights protections than federal law.
"Today's decision is the next logical step to the Salvation Army
controversy," Anders said. "Those who found the Salvation Army's
requests disturbing should be horrified at today's decision in
Louisville."
Within a few weeks, the ACLU will decide whether to appeal the parts
of the case that were dismissed, or proceed to trial on the remaining
claims.
"While we're pleased that the court recognized our concerns about
government money funding religious institutions, we're deeply
disappointed by the court's view of the employment aspects of the
case," said Ken Choe, Staff Counsel with the ACLU's Lesbian and Gay
Rights Project, which brought the case.
For more information about the Pedreira case, see:
http://www.aclu.org/features/f030901a.html
- End -
Jeff Vessels, Executive Director
ACLU of Kentucky
425 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd., Suite 230
Louisville, KY 40202
502/581-1181 * www.aclu-ky.org * FAX 502/589-9687
---
"Give us marriage or give us death:
Slay the beast of homophobia!"
-Zeke Krahlin, Chief Thracian
http://surf.to/gaybible
Stan Rothwell
"Chief Thracian" <chieft...@runbox.com> wrote in message
news:622ult468l1rso371...@4ax.com...
> The Gaywire.Net Press Releases
> http://www.gaywire.net/newswire/index.cgi?func=show&file=20010725-134524
>
> COURT SAYS STATE-FUNDED KENTUCKY BAPTIST HOMES FOR CHILDREN CAN FIRE
> LESBIAN, HIGHLIGHTING DANGER OF BUSH FAITH-BASED PLAN ACLU OF KENTUCKY
>
> July 25, 1901 - 01:45:24PM [US South] News
>
>
> ACLU of KY Alert: Court allows Baptist Homes Firing of Alicia Pedreira
So organizations get to hire individuals based on
whether they endorse the organizational philosophy?
Good.
Rev Fredric L. Rice
>The Gaywire.Net Press Releases
>http://www.gaywire.net/newswire/index.cgi?func=show&file=20010725-134524
>COURT SAYS STATE-FUNDED KENTUCKY BAPTIST HOMES FOR CHILDREN CAN FIRE
>LESBIAN, HIGHLIGHTING DANGER OF BUSH FAITH-BASED PLAN ACLU OF KENTUCKY
...cuts...flr...
I wonder how they manage to retain their State funding since if I'm not
mistaken there are Federal laws which come into play which negate the
allowances of States funding religious and racist hate groups.
---
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Rev Fredric L. Rice
The issue in this case is that the State is providing tax-payer funding
to subsidize institutional hatred and bigotry. That must not be allowed
to stand and anybody who thinks it should would find they likee it
better living in Iraq.
Wm James
Fredric L. Rice) wrote:
>Chief Thracian <chieft...@runbox.com> accidentally wrote:
>
>>The Gaywire.Net Press Releases
>>http://www.gaywire.net/newswire/index.cgi?func=show&file=20010725-134524
>>COURT SAYS STATE-FUNDED KENTUCKY BAPTIST HOMES FOR CHILDREN CAN FIRE
>>LESBIAN, HIGHLIGHTING DANGER OF BUSH FAITH-BASED PLAN ACLU OF KENTUCKY
>
>...cuts...flr...
>
>I wonder how they manage to retain their State funding since if I'm not
>mistaken there are Federal laws which come into play which negate the
>allowances of States funding religious and racist hate groups.
Like operation push and the NAACP, for example? After all, they
wouldn't tolorate anyone who did't agree with their racial based
goals. Guess that makes them hate groups, using your definition.
William R. James
Stan Rothwell
"Rev Fredric L. Rice" <fr...@SPAMNOTskeptictank.org> wrote in message
news:tlv5svb...@corp.supernews.com...
> "Stan Rothwell" <roth...@ix.netcom.com> accidentally wrote:
>
> >"Chief Thracian" <chieft...@runbox.com> wrote in message
> >news:622ult468l1rso371...@4ax.com...
> >> The Gaywire.Net Press Releases
> >>
http://www.gaywire.net/newswire/index.cgi?func=show&file=20010725-134524
> >> COURT SAYS STATE-FUNDED KENTUCKY BAPTIST HOMES FOR CHILDREN CAN FIRE
> >> LESBIAN, HIGHLIGHTING DANGER OF BUSH FAITH-BASED PLAN ACLU OF KENTUCKY
> >> July 25, 1901 - 01:45:24PM [US South] News
> >> ACLU of KY Alert: Court allows Baptist Homes Firing of Alicia Pedreira
>
> >So organizations get to hire individuals based on
> >whether they endorse the organizational philosophy?
> >Good.
>
> The issue in this case is that the State is providing tax-payer funding
> to subsidize institutional hatred and bigotry.
So all standards advocated by any religious or philosophical
group are "hatred and bigotry"? Can we also make the
argument that AIDS funding should not be provided by the
taxpayers, since one group (homosexuals) receives a
disproportionate benefit from it, which could be considered
a form of discrimination against heterosexuals?
Chief Thracian
Fredric L. Rice) wrote:
>The issue in this case is that the State is providing tax-payer funding
>to subsidize institutional hatred and bigotry. That must not be allowed
>to stand and anybody who thinks it should would find they likee it
>better living in Iraq.
Unfortunately, the emotions of homophobic justices are overriding the
valued concept of keeping church and state separated. This opens the
door to unbridled fanaticism. By first appealing to the innate
homophobia of the clueless majority, they gain entrance to further
manipulation of government.
The gay-hating bigots who applaud this invasion on our personal lives,
are no differnet than those who applauded Hitler in his isolating Jews
and other "undesireables". I would label them "neo-brownshirts".
Reminds me of what former Pres. Harry Truman once said: "The
government is only as good as the people". Whether I like this or not
(and I surely don't)...I do not represent the majority...and this
usurpation of gov't by the Bush regime, only tells me that Amerika is
getting what it deserves: fascism and destruction.
Any oppressed minority that fails to defend gays, will get what it
deserves, no matter how much they cry and plead. For if they look the
other way re. gays--allowing them to be rounded up and purged--then
they deserve nothing less than the same treatment.