GOP Representative Says Employers Should Be Allowed To Fire Gay Employees [Video]
Freshman Representative James Lankford said in a recent interview that laws banning discrimination for sexual orientation should not be passed because of his belief that being gay is a “choice.” according to ThinkProgress.
Lankford said in an interview (video below),
“Race and sexual preferences are two different things. One is a behavior-related and preference-related and one is something inherently — skin color, something obvious, that kind of stuff. You don’t walk up to someone on the street and look at them and say, ‘Gay or straight? I think it’s a choice issue. Are tendencies and such? Yes. But I think it’s a choice issue.”
President Barack Obama recently said in an interview that he personally finds nothing wrong with two people of the same sex getting married. His statement was in response to North Carolina passing a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union of one man and one woman. The State will no longer recognize any other type of union.
The President’s declaration has caused many States to take up the issue of gay rights and address the issue of discrimination based on sexual orientation.
The Washington Post’s Greg Sargent reported that a bipartisan group of senators renewed calls for hearings on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. The act would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Both major political parties are drawing lines in the sand on the issue of Gay rights. Lankford isn’t the only GOP Representative who opposes these type of laws. Last week, Florida Representative Allen West said it was unnecessary to pass laws to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation because that type of discrimination doesn’t exist.
West told ThinkProgress,
“That don’t happen out here in the United States of America,”
Watch the interview where Representative James Lankord opposes bills that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Tags : gay discrimination, gay rights, gop rep fire gay employees, lankford, marriage equality, oklahome representative, representative james lankford, sexual orientation
Posted: May 14, 2012
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May 14, 2012
No, I don't think a person should be fired for BEING gay but, they should be fired if they are not doing their job to the standards everyone else is placed at. And, there should be some sort of limit placed on playing the "sexuality card", just like the playing of the "race card", when someone gets fired. I worked with several African Americans that were not doing their jobs correctly (it's kind of obvious in the nursing profession) and, when they were going to be written up or fired, they screamed racism and they got to keep their job because the higher ups knew that they'd lose the battle in court! I've worked with gay people who were wonderful and gay people who couldn't take care of themselves, much less the patients placed under their care. That should be the definer, not who they choose to have sex with.
May 14, 2012
The way someone does their job should be based on their experience and abilities. If you are qualified for your job and do well, awesome. If not, whether you're gay or not, you should be fired. Plain and simple. I have NOTHING against gay people. I love them in fact. But special treatment is not necessary. Yes, gay people should be allowed to get married. But if they want to be treated equally, that's what they should get. If a straight person who is doing a crappy job at work, they would get fired. The same should go for ANYBODY else. Black, white, gay, straight, or anything else. And, as much as I wish gays could just get married already, I can think of more important things that need to be addressed. Like children who are standing on the street begging for food. Everyone just needs to get their priorities straight.
May 14, 2012
No, that would be insanity, but I also do not think gays should be anymore protected from being fired for any other reason.
May 14, 2012
Did you get your page hits today? You and your controversial issues that do NOT improve life- I'm sick of this biased website. thought I'd tell you how to improve before I became another fan in the dust- STOP YOUR BIASED WAYS- it is unprofessional and close minded!
May 14, 2012
Really? Did he really just say that?
May 14, 2012
Fired for just being GAY. Is this guy crazy. I hope he never has to go into the hospital because there a lot of GAYS in the medical. I have worked some really beautiful and professional people in this field who are the most caring people I have ever met in my life.
May 14, 2012
Sounds like one of those polititions that's still hiding in the closet. No one should b
e able to be fired for any reasons other than not doing your job.
May 14, 2012
That is not the issue at hand here. This GOP Representative is saying that laws that prohibit an employer from firing someone ONLY because they are gay should not be passed. The same type of anti-discrimination laws already exist for reasons of gender, religious preference, age, disability, mental capacity (a fact this particular Congress,an should be thankful for, apparently). Representative Lankford is suggesting these same protective laws should not be in place for homosexuals because they "have chosen their sexual preference" — a notion that goes against every shred of biological and scientific evidence available, but then listening to fact has never been the GOP's strong point.
May 14, 2012
True that race and sexual preferance are different, but like he himself said "You don't walk up to someone and ask Gay or strait" I say the same should be in the work place. Sexual preference should not be an issue. We are all human beings and there for should have the same rights that strait people have. They fight for equality not supiriority. Discrimination of any kind is wrong.
May 14, 2012
I totally disagree !!!
May 14, 2012
It's like no one ask this Rep if he was a fucking idiot when he got the job but now we all know he's a fucking idiot and he still has the job it makes no difference so it shouldn't make a difference if your gay or straight you can still do the same thing as everyone else unless u r a fucking idiot IJS
May 14, 2012
I sure hope he is sterile….that is the nicest thing I can say about that.
May 14, 2012
Maybe we should have right to….hmmmmm let me see. Cut people into tiny little pieces and feed them to our dogs too. Oh, sorry did I just say that?
May 15, 2012
This guy might want to start looking over his shoulder… That's just freakin stupid!! Who u r n a relationship with doesn't have anything to do with how u perform on ur job! Man stupid just keeps on Rollin…..
May 15, 2012
America is no longer about equal rights. It is about the small vocal minority trying to keep a status quo that is out of date, stereotypical, and backwards. Wake up to 2012 everyone.
May 15, 2012
Agreee with you Kevin.
May 20, 2012
No, I don't think they should be fired, but they should not be allowed to talk about their way of life, show physical affection with their partner, etc. But if they do something that affects their job or puts others' health in jeopardy, then it should be immediate "curtains".
May 20, 2012
No, I don't think they should be fired, but they should not be allowed to talk about their way of life, show physical affection with their partner, etc. But if they do something that affects their job or puts others' health in jeopardy, then it should be immediate "curtains".
May 21, 2012
I talk about my wife at work. Why can't a gay person talk about their significant other?
May 21, 2012
I said, "Way of life; not way of wife." : D Personally, if I heard a gay fellow-employee talking about, say, buying a house together, it would make me cringe. I don't even like to see that on property shows on TV. I heard a comment made on HGTV once when a gay couple were considering buying a house and one of them said, "Well, we came out of the closet, now we need some." That should have been edited.