Is it okay to discriminate against homosexuals? (interview, crimes, cost)
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So, do you think it is okay for an employer to refuse to hire someone because they are gay? Also, do you think that someone who kills someone because they are gay should be guilty of a hate crime?
If you believe its wrong to discriminate against gays and also oppose gay marriage could you explain why this makes sense to you.
The way I understand it is if sexual orientation is only a choice made by an individual then how can homosexuals be discriminated against since they could just choose to be heterosexuals if they wanted to be treated like everyone else? For example if an employer refused to hire people who came to an interview wearing their jackets inside out, they would not be guilty of discrimination. Those people made a choice to come to the interview that way and know that their behavior is socially unacceptable and could cost them a job. The same logic can easily be applied to gays if homosexuality is only a choice. However, the medical community has generally accepted that sexual orientation is not a choice.
If people see homosexuals as a group that can be discriminated against then it makes no sense to ban same sex marriage. By wanting to ban same sex marriage you are saying that marriage is a right that can only be enjoyed by heterosexual people. If homosexuals want to marry then they must become heterosexuals. This makes sense if homosexuality is only a choice.
However, many states have laws against discrimination based on sexual orientation, although I don't know if their are any federal discrimination laws based on sexual orientation. Homosexuals can only be discriminated against if they are understood as that can't change their sexual orientation to match what is scene as 'culturally acceptable'. The fact that there are laws against discrimination based on sexual orientation and that many people who oppose gay marriage claim they have nothing against gays suggests homosexuals are viewed as a distinct group and discriminating against them is becoming less socially acceptable.
Last edited by freedom99; 05-29-2009 at 03:38 PM..
So, do you think it is okay for an employer to refuse to hire someone because they are gay? Tougher question than it appears on first glance. Personal opinion, no, I absolutely do not believe in discriminating against a homosexual. However, if you know you have employees who won't be ok with it, and it will cause a distraction on the job, it doesn't make sense to introduce a disturbance to the workplace, so do you hire the gay person and fire the discriminatory person? In addition, if you are in an area where most people are discriminatory against homosexuals, and hiring one could cause harm to your company, or even run you out of business, does it make sense to hire that person? In a perfect world, this wouldn't be a problem, but in the real world, it can be a factor. Also, do you think that someone who kills someone because they are gay should be guilty of a hate crime? Of course they should. If they killed a gay person in self defense or something, then of course they should not. You can insert almost any adjective you want into that sentence in place of "gay" and my answer would be the same.
If you believe its wrong to discriminate against gays and also oppose gay marriage could you explain why this makes sense to you.
The way I understand it is if sexual orientation is only a choice made by an individual then how can homosexuals be discriminated against since they could just choose to be heterosexuals if they wanted to be treated like everyone else? For example if an employer refused to hire people who came to an interview wearing their jackets inside out, they would not be guilty of discrimination. Those people made a choice to come to the interview that way and know that their behavior is socially unacceptable and could cost them a job. The same logic can easily be applied to gays if homosexuality is only a choice. However, the medical community has generally accepted that sexual orientation is not a choice.
If people see homosexuals as a group that can be discriminated against then it makes no sense to ban same sex marriage. By wanting to ban same sex marriage you are saying that marriage is a right that can only be enjoyed by heterosexual people. If homosexuals want to marry then they must become heterosexuals. This makes sense if homosexuality is only a choice.
However, many states have laws against discrimination based on sexual orientation, although I don't know if their are any federal discrimination laws based on sexual orientation. Homosexuals can only be discriminated against if they are understood as that can't change their sexual orientation to match what is scene as 'culturally acceptable'. The fact that there are laws against discrimination based on sexual orientation and that many people who oppose gay marriage claim they have nothing against gays suggests homosexuals are viewed as a distinct group and discriminating against them is becoming less socially acceptable. I hope so. There is absolutely no difference between discriminating against a person because of the color of their skin, and discriminating against a person because of the "color" of their orientation.
My answers to individual questions is above in red. (sorry if that discriminates against those with color blindness)
Tougher question than it appears on first glance. Personal opinion, no, I absolutely do not believe in discriminating against a homosexual. However, if you know you have employees who won't be ok with it, and it will cause a distraction on the job, it doesn't make sense to introduce a disturbance to the workplace, so do you hire the gay person and fire the discriminatory person? In addition, if you are in an area where most people are discriminatory against homosexuals, and hiring one could cause harm to your company, or even run you out of business, does it make sense to hire that person? In a perfect world, this wouldn't be a problem, but in the real world, it can be a factor.
Actually its really not that tough. You could argue that having a black person at work is distractive to people who don't like blacks. If what you mean is the way the gay employee behaves that may make other people feel uncomfortable then that would be a reason not to hire them. However, just knowing a person is gay and has a same sex partner should not be a distraction the same as knowing that a female employee has a husband and children at home should not be a distraction. There used to be a time when people believed that its not acceptable for that woman to work because she would be distracted from her job. Also, the law says discrimination is wrong even if you live in a place where people think its okay to discriminate against that group.
So, do you think it is okay for an employer to refuse to hire someone because they are gay?
No.
Quote:
Also, do you think that someone who kills someone because they are gay should be guilty of a hate crime?
I think the motive for a killing should be taken into consideration when sentencing someone but I am not sure I agree with separate categories of crimes for killing someone of a "minority" group.
Actually, in some cases it IS okay to discriminate against gays.
Yes, I know I'll catch heck for this, but think about it...
If a church, for instance, believes that homosexuality is a sin, that church should be able to decide whether or not to hire homosexuals - or even to let homosexuals be members.
Nobody is forcing anybody to go to that church, or be a member of that church. Homosexuals are not required to go to that church. And anybody who disagrees with a church's policy of not hiring homosexuals is free to go elsewhere.
It's not really any different than if a church refusing to hire Muslims for paid positions in a church. If it's contrary to their beliefs, why is it being forced on them?
That's part of the whole separation of church & state thing.
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