For Immediate Release : Connecting Rainbows Members Launch Parody YouTube Campaign Against Taco Bell
Alan Bounville
From: Louis Flores <lflo...@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, May 18, 2011 at 11:11 PM
Subject: For Immediate Release : Connecting Rainbows Members Launch Parody YouTube Campaign Against Taco Bell
To: Louis Flores <lflo...@gmail.com>
Cc: Alan Bounville <alanbo...@gmail.com>
Alan Bounville : alanbo...@gmail.com
Louis Flores : lflo...@gmail.com : (646) 400-1168
Connecting Rainbows Members Launch Parody
YouTube Campaign Against Taco Bell
Video Link : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4Bf1xhSdnM
May 18, 2011 -- New York, NY – The LGBTQ civil rights group Connecting Rainbows has announced a world-wide boycott of Yum! Brands restaurants following a case of alleged employment discrimination against a member of Connecting Rainbows.
In April 2011, Jason Smith, an openly gay employee of Taco Bell, who is a member of Connecting Rainbows, was dismissed from his job, after another employee made a threat against Mr. Smith based on his sexual orientation. A Taco Bell manager witnessed the threat. After Mr. Smith was dismissed, Taco Bell conditioned Mr. Smith’s return to his job only after Mr. Smith deleted each of his Facebook profile and the entire website of Connecting Rainbows, the former which Mr. Smith refused, and the latter over which Mr. Smith has no control. Connecting Rainbows is a democratic collective of LGBTQ activists and allies, with no hierarchy. To read more about the incident, please read Mr. Smith’s own description of the events on Connecting Rainbows website :
http://connectingrainbows.ning.com/forum/topics/hate-crime-needs-to-stop-taco
Connecting Rainbows is outraged by this discriminatory treatment and has launched a parody campaign that lampoons Taco Bell for its apparent bigotry.
Connecting Rainbows members have also launched an online petition :
To spread word of the injustice that Mr. Smith has suffered, members of Connecting Rainbows launched a petition on Change.org, to publicise Mr. Smith’s plight :
http://www.change.org/petitions/world-wide-petition-yum-brands-restaurants-re-jason-ray-smith-read-his-story-and-sign-petition
About Connecting Rainbows’ demands to Taco Bell and Yum! Brands :
Connecting Rainbows demands that :
· Yum! Brands restaurants apologize to Jason and the LGBT community
· Rehire Mr. Smith and provide a hostile-free work environment, or compensate Jason for his loss of income and other damages
· Provide diversity and cultural competency training to every employee -- worldwide!
About Connecting Rainbows’ demands for legislative remedies :
· Connecting Rainbows demands that Congress amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include ‘’sexual orientation’’ and ‘’gender identity’’ to the major forms of discrimination that are outlawed.
· Connecting Rainbows also demands that federal legislators pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (''ENDA''). ENDA is routinely introduced in Congress, but never passed. It is time for Congress to prohibit discrimination against employees on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
About Connecting Rainbows :
Connecting Rainbows is a group of active people organizing civil rights walks and other actions in America. The group’s mission is to create a mass movement, demanding full civil rights for LGBT Americans. Connecting Rainbows uses the power of a social media platform, where people create online profiles, meet others, plan events, join groups, blog, and participate in online forums.
Visit : http://connectingrainbows.ning.com/ or http://www.bigotbell.com/
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