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Microsoft Abandons Gay Rights Bill
andrewagill writes "Microsoft has withdrawn support from a bill that would "protect gays and lesbians from discrimination in employment, housing, banking, insurance, and other matters by adding sexual orientation to a state law which already bars discrimination" of the other usual suspects. Odd, given their previous accolades from the GLBT community, and their prior public support for the bill."
...come before social interests? Nah. Couldn't be.
It's a reference to this week's excellent episode of The Office.
(for all the Brits hating on the US version: we don't care)
Ah yes, because you can only discriminate based on ones skin color right?
Your post is actually discriminatory against gays in that it is marginalizing the gay community, and then justifying that by stating that that fact doesn't matter as it can be hidden.
Just because something doesn't apply to you doesn't mean that it doesn't exist.
No Comment.
Homosexuality is not a religion. It is a choice you can make. You can go in and out of the group based on how you feel. You do not have to be able to prove it. Religion is protected because it is religion and there are consequences to the choice. Repression can involve violent uprising by the religion to maintain its ability to be what it is.
Homosexuality is something you could claim to be or not claim to be totally based on how you want to avoid or not avoid something.
If I found that homosexuals could get scholarships that i could not, i could just tell everyone I was a homosexual.
Unlike being a black man. If I am a black man and feel that white people get more benefits, I cannot just go and tell someone I am white and expect them to beleive me. The same goes with age (though you can try to hide it), sexuality (again you can try to hide it), etc...
With homosexuality you can just go and say "I am gay" and there would be no way to prove it, or deny it for either party. You couldnt ask them to prove it with sex, as there are plenty of heterosexuals that have never had sex, or kiss a guy if you say that you find it repulsive to kiss someone you do not love.
It is a choice, no matter how much that choice may fundementally beleive. If you feel that Religion should not have protections on this, then you should move to a different country or lobby to have the 1st ammendmant change, I leave that as an excersize to the reader.
If you don't vote, you don't matter, so don't waste your time telling me your opinion
..."there is no reason that discrimination on the basis of sexual preference should be permissable."
What if your sexual preferences run to minor children?
I am not flamebaiting or trolling, I am serious. "Sexual preference" and associated "discrimination" is purely a societal thing. In some societies, sex with underage children is acceptable, but homosexuality is not, and vice-versa in other societies. Ditto for bestiality.
Where do we draw the line? Or do we?
Ignorance is curable, stupid is forever.
Others see the "no pictures of gay lovers" rule as applicable to all persons, gay or straight, and thus it is not discrimination. The reduced hours and layoffs mentioned by the original poster were for "bad attitude" not for "being gay". Or are you saying they're discriminating against people with "bad attitudes"?
moo
Microsoft has become much more aware of the threat of viruses in the last couple of years, so this is just a natural step really.
Time to move to India, I guess. Way too many fags 'round here.
Like all Christians who believe that the Bible is the truth, I think that the act of being gay/lesbian is a sin. I would oppose any legistlation that gave special recognition to gays and lesbians.
That being said, I don't think that gays and lesbians are more sinful than myself. Hate the sin, love the sinner.
-Nick
"A plan fiendishly clever in its intricacies"- Homer Simpson
intentionally hamstringing someone based on something they cannot control is wrong
You're absolutely right. And the sooner we get the airlines to hire those blind folks at pilots, the sooner we will all rest easier as our civil rights have once again been secured.
Equal rights for the blind!
You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
I was quite pleased the Pope passed away; he truly deserved that. Fuck him and other bigots who preach love and happiness unless it does not involve gay people or whoever does not believe in god. Perhaps clergy needs to have a history lesson. Did they miss the part that this is the 21st century? We have things like voting, women's rights and freedom of religion. From where I stand, everybody is equal. Black, white, hispanic, asian -- all of us are in the same shit. By discriminating against each other we only make matters worse. This country/world is screwed in so many ways that I do not know where to start.
We can have violence on TV, but not some skin. You know, naked ladies are dangerous for kids, unlike guns and explosives. Rush L. can blast about kids having oral sex, but Howard Stern gets beeped everytime he says "poo"... What the hell is wrong with us, Americans? We say that families are foundations of societies but at the same time we deny a union if it involves two loving people of the same sex. Apparently, heterosexual marriages are always perfect; even if a woman gets a beating from her husband! We came up to the point where pharmacists can choose not to sell birth control pills to women. WTF? What's next? Mandatory bible readings in school? Why can't we let people live and be happy. Is it that hard to do? Instead of celebrating unity, we always find a way to separate people into "us" and "them". Is religion really worth it? If so, I hope I burn in hell. So far, I noticed that "sinners" are much cooler than god-fearing men. I'd rather spend my time in hell, but in a good company as opposed to a life in heaven (if there is such thing) with a bunch of morons.
The land of the free and the home of the brave looks like the land of the retarded religious slaves...
My world view stems from the bible. My grounds for thinking that what you do is wrong comes from a 2000+ year old book that contains the word of GOD.
WHAT IS YOUR BASIS?
shirov
Is it a natural for a child to have same sex parents.
If you define parents as adults who raise a child, then yes, it is...
There are many cultures where entire villages raise children collectivly, the women are all "mother" to all of the children.
You could say that it isn't normal in western culture for children to be raised by two parents of the same gender, but there is no evidence that it is harmful.
Additionally there is a practical question to be answered. Is it better to be raised by two people who care for each other and you, or by a long string of different foster parents?
Kids are going unadopted, is that preferable to adoption by a gay couple? Surely not...
"I'll have a Guinness, no wait, make that a Coors Light" -Grad student I work with, who shall remain anonymous...
Are you going to tell the millions of Christians thier belief system is bubkis?
:)
Yes, God, Jesus and Heaven are myths. And The Holy Bible is fiction, not meant to be interpreted literally. What more do you want?
Its so simple for me to see the truth. Why is it so hard for these ignorant christians? Science proved christianity wrong. Let's see, the church believed the world was flat, wrong. The church believed God created man, wrong. Is it too much to ask that they read a book, other than the only one they believe in?
Why must christians insist their beliefs are truthful and moral?
I know their belief system is bubkis. No need to tell them this, its a fact. I don't care what they believe, but they best keep it out of my government.
Denying rights? And who gets to decide that it is a right for gay people to get married? You alone?
We live in a democracy here, and I am sure glad it is so. If you don't like the definition that the majority have given to the term, then you are free to go to the far east that you apparently admire so much. It will also save you the hassle of watching those DeBeers ads.
diegoT
If Google was your friend and you understood the meaning of words like "demographics"... never mind, if you got that gays and lesbians have more disposable income than Religious Right types like you, (broad hint: NO KIDS), you wouldn't have posted your whine.
If you really believe, why don't you put your life savings into Microsoft right now?
Of course, selling your SCO holdings to get your money out so you can do this might be sort of difficult.
Tech Public Policy stuff
I am glad some people out there realize that it's not a case of lack of equal rights. People who define themselves by their sexual urges have no different rights than those who don't. Calling yourself gay doesn't change your legal status one bit.
My guess is that you're simply pretending to be an atheist in the faint hope of boosting your credibility here. I suggest you read your Bible and see what awful fate lies in store for Christians who deny Jesue.
Oh, and THANK YOU FOR NOT BREEDING.
I'm tard-whacking because it's one of things I do to entertain myself and others.
With respect to MS... I'm gloating.
Now go take that insurance settlement and go buy some Microsoft stock with it.
Tech Public Policy stuff
You said the PROTECTED minority. Nobody's fighting for protections for pro-gay-marriage people, but for actual gays.
But you're forgetting that gay people CAN get married! See, marriage is, by definition, a union of a man and a woman. Gay people can marry all they want. They just can't marry someone of the same sex. There's no discrimination here. Things just are what they are. Shall we argue that men can't have babies, and call that a "civil right?"
But the fight is long and arduous! I need other strong, willing souls to fight the good fight! Join me in modding Garcia to the level of a pathetic troll! Whenever you get mod points, go through each of Garcia's posts in his history and mod them 'Overrated'. That way they will not be meta-modderated and you can continue your work indefinitely. Try and mod the older, less active stories where he is less likely to be modded back up. Join with me in my glorious quest! Join me in the first mod lynching on Slashdot of this serial irritant.
Yours,
SneakyTroll.