Gay's on Strike?
 

Dec. 11 this year the Gay community is planning to strike. WTF if anybody no shows on me for such a frivolous reason on 11 Dec. they would be looking for work 12 Dec.

(source A&E Network)

Why are they going on strike?

Fuck, I don't know. Why would they do that it don't make sense to me. When did a persons sexual choices become a political statement?

Hmm....maybe when a person's sexuality (note, sexuality not sexual choices) became a reason to discrimate against them?

Perhaps it doesn't make sense to you because you are not living the same life they are living? Perhaps because you aren't discriminated against based on your sexuality?

The fact that you don't know why they are striking, yet have already condemned their actions speaks volumes.

I think they want folks to realize how many gays are living normal lives right next to them. The problem is if you are not out you won't participate. Its a copy cat of the poorly thought out day without Mexicans. Organizers failed to realize that Mexicans come here to work not protest.

I agree Griff. It's highly unlikely to work imo. But, that said, there are many many gay people who aren't keeping it a secret. We'll just haveto see.

I find it interesting that Fargon characterised their reason for striking as 'frivolous' without even know what their reason is. I seriously doubt their reason for striking is simply that they are gay.

gay people are very well organized. in our business, if you sell a lesbian a pickup truck, and do a good job for her, you'll almost certainly get a referral.

This is America. Things don't have to be more thought out that that. The protest is the point, rarely what they are protesting.

Will the U.S. get by for one whole day without that 1.51% of the population?

I don't think anyone will notice.

Unless they need to get their hair cut.

What about interior decorators?

Well since I have to report for jury duty on Dec. 11th, my fellow homos will have to get along without me.

@wolf: I'm curious where the 1.51% stat comes from. Do you have a link for that?

http://www.adherents.com/adh_dem.html

These numbers appear to be more comprehensive:

http://www.plu.sg/main/facts_05.htm

There also is a demographic difference between identifies as gay vs. had a same-sex encounter.

identifies as still comes in around 2% or less, had a same sex encounter can kick the numbers up to 5% or a bit more.

It's a media grab, sexual preference is already on the list of official 'no-no's when it comes to firing people or passing them over. Also, are most gays even in agreement with this plan? It strikes me as the kind of thing that might end up alienating them further in the workplace.

The generally accepted figure in the UK is 6%, but the data that this is based on does not stand up to scrutiny.

A (gay) magazine I was reading over the weekend estimates the real percentage at just over 2% in the UK too. I can't remember any of the sources, but the article seemed well balanced and backed up. I'll bring it in and quote from it if I remember, but it matches the data already posted.

Really? What do you mean by "official"?

As in "it is illegal to fire someone for this reason" official.

I don't think that's true in most places. Can you show me that it's more than your company's policy?

This from Pink News does seem to support the fact that it is illegal to fire someone based solely on their sexual orientation (emphasis mine):

17 out of 50 states does not support 9th's blanket statement:

Hmmmrrr... so it's "A Day Without A Gay?"

lol...now that's funny UG.

I have recently been told, that this whole Gay's on strike is a mini series or some such thing.
Having run a business in a "Gay" town for several years I have a queer understanding of Gay issues, and causes. I have hosted AID's awareness fundraisers in my home. At one time in an effort to impose affirmative action in the city, the city's human rights office decreed that all businesses with more than 6 employees had to prove that 38% of your payroll was admittedly Gay. Fortunately the Mayor a Gay man intervened and blocked this bit of sillyness.
Living in this California Art Colony in the '80s, was an education I appreciate more everyday. I am now familiar with more art and culture, than I would have been if I had lived in say, Pensiltucky.

Hey now, watch those Pensiltucky cracks. We've got queers too.... they just marry their brothers here.;)

If I was having my house redone on a tight schedule (to be stereotypical, but some good friends of mine redo homes, not just decorators) and they did not work on the 11th for this reason, it would piss me off... just piss me off, nothing more.

It is poorly thought out, if true.

Being gay does not make someone special in the workplace, it does not set them apart in any way... in no way does it affect their work. It does not make someone a better or worse engineer, logger or hairdresser.
Unless, of course, they don't show up.
If they think this will make that point... it will not. Those that know this already do, those that think differently, will continue to do so because they will always see different as "different" and no amount of noise will change that until they meet someone that changes their mind in person.

I do think it is a miniseries, though.

I too worked for a, predominantly, gay owned/run business. They hired me because they thought I was gay. Happened a lot to me in LA. They were pissed when they found out I was married, until they go used to my work.

So they hired you on an assumption of your sexual orientation and then got angry when it wasn't what they expected, nice. Speaks loads about the company, although at least they decided they were willing to keep you around since you did good work for them.

The "they" was only two people out of the whole company. It lasted all of a couple of days. It was not an issue.
They tried to foster an environment where gays were welcome and could work with no discrimination and comfort. They never implied that they would not have hired me, but felt that I was gay due to our discussions about my interests.
They felt that I discussed them because I knew about the company's history and discussed those things intentionally to give that impression.
I did not, I was just answering an ad about a company in a town I had only been in for a few weeks.
It was a misunderstanding.
But you go ahead and jump on it like that... lol...

The artiest "California Art Colony" I know about around here is Ojai. The biggest art market up the road from here is probably Santa Barbara, next county over.

Now over in the big town, you'll get all kinds of pockets of all kinds of stuff. Had I a shop where I live, perhaps I'd be doing something that would qualify as artistic: trying to make well-shaped suits of armor, which is at bottom a combination of sculpture (by hammering, though, not casting) and ergonomics. For the present, I am a mere student of this endeavor -- and my efforts at increasing my understanding and helping others to that may be found at The Armour Archive.

Labina Guuch

Actually, the gays on strike plot was a TV movie with John Stamos. "Tales of the City" was a gay themed miniseries. As for affecting their work, tell it to the President. Under "don't ask, don't tell" the presumption is that openly gay soldiers cannot serve, not necessarily because they are poorer soldiers, but because US forces cannot maintain effective discipline to prevent some loss of unit cohesion.

Marriage aside, gays are legally discriminated against in issues such as foster care and adoption, regardless of what is in the best interests of the children. Up until a few years ago, sodomy in the privacy of ones home was illegal in any number of states.

So if gay men and women feel that someone is out to get them, they're probably right.

/non sequitur/

When I saw this thread title, I heard the song GIRLS ON FILM in my head

/end non sequitur/

/start worrying RE: mental health/

LOL - I found myself thinking of the song "I kissed a girl"