An interesting article in the Toledo Journal. Some interesting parts:
It’s perfectly fine for a white homosexual official at the University of Toledo to make disparaging remarks about religious peoplem, Crystal Dixon says.
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It’s another matter, though, when an African American UT official with strong religious beliefs expresses an opinion on homosexuality, she says
Ms. Dixon, booted from her job as associate vice president for Human Resources because of recent written commentary, made that comparison last week while vowing to fight for restoration of her job. About 60 people applauded her at a May 14 press conference/rally at End Time Christian Fellowship Church, where she is an elder.
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A recent instance involved Dr. Carol Bresnahan, UT’s vice provost for academic affairs. A longtime advocate for ''domestic partner'' and gay rights, she was featured in a Toledo Blade story last December in which she referred to religious people as bigots.
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Ms. Dixon wasn’t surprised that Dr. Bresnahan was never investigated or punished for her remarks. In the U.S. today, some people can say whatever they want while insisting that others do not have that right, she said.
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''When it comes to the issue of homosexuality, there is no level playing field,'' Ms. Dixon said. ''Once an individual doesn’t agree with their lifestyle, you can expect some heavy ... opposition to commence.
''That is exactly what happened here.''
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Read the rest at:
http://www.thetoledojournal.com/news/Article/Article.asp?NewsID=88630&sI...
"It's their religious beliefs, and bigotry in the name of religion is still bigotry," Ms. Bresnahan said.
Click here to read Blade article
Crystal may have a legitimate claim.
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- Just the KAT, thinking out loud again.
for the link krazykat
Ah....well if it's a racial thing, then one thing's for certain---she just lost Rush Limbaugh's support.
In fairness to Bresnahan, she didn't say that all religious people are bigots or that belief in religion is bigotry. To paraphrase her as I understand it, she considers that if a particular belief is bigoted, then that belief is still bigotry even though it is a religious belief. But that is not the same thing as her saying that religion is bigotry. In short, I don't think she was making an attack on religion or on people who hold general religious beliefs -just on people who hold certain beliefs and use religion to justify their position.
The position of Crystal Dixon, on the other hand, is absolute, black and white, right and wrong. She says that religion tells her that a certain belief system is correct and the opposite is wrong. It seems to me that Dixon is the aggressor here. She is declaring absolutely, based on religious beliefs, what is right and what is wrong. I don't think the two ladies are doing the same thing at all and for Ms. Dixon to complain about an unlevel playing field is not seeing the difference between her attack and Bresnahan's defense. They are not the same thing.
I've been a big Lloyd Jacobs fan since his arrival at then-MCO 5 years or so ago. I have to say, I absolutely disagree with his stance on this issue. Dixon expressed a belief that a very large percentage of Americans hold. It's hardly a "fringe" belief by any means. I would guess that somewhere around 1/4-1/3 of all UT students hold a very similar view to Dixon's. Is he saying that all of those students' opinions are unworthy of being discussed? It appears that way. As a current UT student I hate to say it, but I hope Dixon wins the lawsuit. From what I've seen it appears she is winning in the court of public opinion, and time will tell how things work out legally.
Hey -- What you fail to realize is the fact that the bigot Dixon's former job was in human resources!
This means she's in the pipleine to pass along hiring, promotions, and firing recommendations to the head of HR, and ultimately the President and Board of Trustees. Bigot Dixon's rant in the TFP proved she regards TLBGs as less than equal, meaning she would discriminate against us, thus violating both UT and City of Toledo policies and laws.
I agree. Dixon should have left her religious beliefs at church or at home. Toledo is full of zealots. What amazes me about the zealots is they sin all the time, but, if they are sinning with each other they appear to believe that two white sheets shows no smut.
have you ever thought of running for political office with answers like that. You took a simple issue and made it the most complex problem with your feeble attempt to distort truth. You could be mayor.
You're right, Kooz. It's way too complex for you. Stick to your comic books. This "simple issue" is apparently beyond your capacity to read and understand what both parties said.
I only pointed out that the lesbian lady did not trash religion or religious people as was alleged in the Toledo Journal article. I believe her point was that people who trashed her lifestyle were bigots and, because they were doing it for religious reasons, they were therefore religious bigots. That is not trashing religion or religious people.
kooz, I think pete phrased it in a very easily understood, factual way - made sense to me, and he's right on all counts I think. Perhaps because his explanation doesn't jive with how you prefer it to be, annoys you - but that doesn't change the facts of who said what - it's easy to find who said waht in their precise words.
Pete, I said pretty much the same thing & got blasted, so be ready to run for cover........
Remind me to never get involved in these religious discussions. :-)
Seems like what Pete is offended by is any standard of right and wrong, and that this is is his definition of bigotry, at least when it comes to homosexuals. Religion for centuries has given standards of right and wrong. We base our laws on those standards to some extent. Are police bigots when they enforce the law? Religion has often had things to say about sex. Just because Pete does not agree, that does not make the belief bigotry. Why should we embrace Pete's values over our own? Many people feel that the values from the Bible have given them greater peace and satisfaction in their lives and a more stable community. Yes, we can go too far. I frankly do not want to know about other people's sex lives. Even the Bible says not to judge each other and to remember that none of us is without sin. And we should always treat people with respect, even when we disagree, but we still have freedom of speech in this country for the moment.
Questioner, you need to question your own confused standards and mixed-up beliefs. When you equate our laws with religion, you are showing a medieval, backward-looking thought process that went out five hundred years ago. You're operating on the same level as the Muslim imams who issue their fatwas and want to rule society based on their religious law, only you want to do it based on YOUR religious law. I reject that.
What you and others can't seem to understand or to accept is that we live in a secular society that is not based on a Koran or a Bible or any other religious text. It is based on a constitution drawn up by men. Oh and, by the way, it doesn't even mention God. Believe what you want in your private life, but don't think for a minute that your religious text trumps the constitution or the laws.
Questioner:
The questions you need to ask yourself is why was the Establishment Clause written into the First Amendment? Why was "this nation was not founded on the Christian religion" written into the first treaty America entered into, the Treaty of Tripoli? Why has the US Supreme Court time and time again ruled that the beliefs of religious minorities supersede laws written to promote the dominant religion?
Maybe because you've never felt the sting of discrimination based on your religion?
Transgendered and proud!
Like I've said before people need to keep church, politics, and sex lives out of their jobs. I don't feel Crystal Dixon should have been fired, but I do feel she greatly compromised her role as a human resource manger and should have taken the offer by Jacobs to take another position. Remember Barry Goldwater who said that he liked Negroes because he felt every white man should own one? My interpretation of Crystal Dixon's philosophy is that Goldwater should have been elected President of the United States. For those of us who are old enough to remember, Goldwater was defeated badly by Lyndon Johnson in 1964. People have to remember, even though they have private lives their lives aren't private, especially if they are in a job that deals with people.