Labor Secretary Issues Outraged Letter Over Defaced Gay Pride Posters

The New York Times:

Labor Secretary Hilda Solis issued a warning letter to departmental employees late last week, after posters celebrating Gay Pride Month hanging in 35 department elevators since June 22 have been either defaced or removed altogether.

In an e-mail message sent to the entire department, Ms. Solis, who helped found the House of Representative's Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Caucus when she was in Congress, said she was outraged by the behavior.

Read the whole story: The New York Times

Comments

[EspritDeVoltaire]

It is unfortunate that antiquated values derived from laws written for barbarians wandering in the desert 3,000 years ago continue to influence some people by reinforcing their "right" to hate others and commit acts of vandalism in order to soothe their insecurity in dealing with the modern world.

[OkieIntellectual]

VERY well said!

[scorpioleidy]

Oooooo ... must've been one big, scary letter, huh?!?!?!

[pipetoe]

There you go using the work "outraged" again...
It's supposed to be a strong word; but it is meaningless on here...

[LostRiverLedger]

What the courts won't give us, the market place will....ev­entually..­.just ask Italians, Irish, Jews, et al........­.We'll just spend our way to equality..­......

MARKET # OF PEOPLE BUYING POWER
AFRICAN AMERICAN 36 MILLION $688 BILLION
GAY AMERICAN 17 MILLION $485 BILLION
HISPANIC AMERICAN 37 MILLION $653 BILLION
ASIAN AMERICAN 12 MILLION $344 BILLION

Source: Selig Center (African-American, Hispanic and Asian-American Buying Power), U.S. Census estimates, and Witeck-Combs Communications and MarketResearch.com

[LostRiverLedger]

Can't you just feel the hate and indifferen­ce........­?

[jimfl]

If caught they should be prosecuted, fired and made to pay for damages.

[Charmed]

I'm sure this is just a case of some gay person looking for more attention and so they defaced the posters.

[hortonhearsdawho]

then again ur a more.on...

[Charmed]

Whatever, lol, calling names doesn't bother me.

[superstition]

This country is sliding backward. The DOMA brief is just one example of that.

[superstition]

Stonewall Revisited? Fort Worth, TX Gay Bar Raided Last Night
http://dym-sum.com/2009/06/28/no166/

Tammye Nash at the Dallas Voice has spoken to the sister of the critically injured man, Chad Gibson: 'A second CAT scan performed this afternoon showed that the bleeding in his brain had increased.­'"

Rainbow Lounge Victim"s Condition Worsening
http://dym-sum.com/2009/06/29/no170/

Eyewitness Statements vs. Police Report in Rainbow Lounge Raid
http://dym-sum.com/2009/06/29/no172/

[ObamaSheeple]

Thank you. I haven't seen that information anywhere else.

[CigarGod]

I can't get over that brief....o­r the lack of apology for the hideousness of it.

[hoobit]

I don't think these posters were kitchen table, magic marker creations (ala 'yard sail today at 8 to 5 - forth house on the rigth rain or sunnshine') or hastily drawn up on a piece of paper from the copier. (And even if they had been, so what?) They were 'legit' posters...­some, apparently, even in frames provided in the building's elevators for (seemingly endless) " ___ Week" and/or "___ Month" called to everyone's attention annually.

If anyone was offended by them, they should've brought the matter up with their supervisor. Ripping them off the wall and/or defacing them was plain old stu.pid - it accomplished nothing other than making the elevator walls have defaced posters and/or ripped off frames.

If DoLs policy is to allow "__Week" and/or "___Month" posters to be displayed in the elevators and throughout the building, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis is absolutely correct in coming down on those who decided -on their own- no one should be exposed to the Gay Pride Month posters. Just as she'd be absolutely correct in coming down on those decideding -on their own- no one should be exposed to National Adoption Month posters, or Hispanic Month posters, or Black History Month posters, or Women's Month posters, or any other poster calling attention to a designated week or month.

It's called vandalism - if I'm not mistaken, that's a (legally) punishable offense. Surely there are security tapes recording what happens in the DoLs corridors, stairwells, elevators.­..

[Bettysdad]

Instead of expressing her outrage, Solis should simply tell her employees that they will be prosecuted for damaging govt property.

This is a crime; not hurt feelings.

[factotem]

I'm gay ...why is this national news? How naive is Hilda and what was the schoolmarmish upbraiding supposed to accomplish?
Ridiculous. We have real problems to deal with.

[jbrantow]

anytime hatred is expressed whether thru physical violence, verbal harrassment or symbolism via ripping destroying properity.­...it is a real problem and needs to be exposed.

[jbrantow]

oops....pr­operty

[sarabono]

Those Posters are Political Speech in a Federal Public Building which is against Federal Law. Ms. Solis better check with her Department Lawyers and DOJ because if she ordered them to be posted then she is potentially in very hot water.

[complice]

How are they any different from putting up a poster celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, or Black History Month?

[wdw505]

there is no method for non-disclosure of your race......

[antaeus]

You can use idiosyncratic capitalization all you want, but acknowledging gay pride month is not political as such.

You can also deny reality all you want, but the fact is that the civilized world has moved towards recognizing sexual orientation as a human right. Why do you cheer America's benightedness?

[loveobamas]

There are lots of remnants of the Bush Administration remaining in middle/lower level positions throughout the various Departments in D.C. They apparently didn't get the memo that Bush/Cheney and all of their intolerant attitudes were told to take a hike by the American people back in November.

[t iessa]

There are also a lot of Obama people in this administratioin. Maybe they didn't get the memo, either.

[loveobamas]

Maybe not but there is a lot more in the Bush Administration.

[windup]

Put up surveillance cameras. It'd be a good way of getting rid of the Bushies.

[sarabono]

Yea. Revive the Brown Shirts! Give me a break!

[CaliforniaLove]

Just take the cr ap down is a better way and can save money in the process.

[apoyo]

You tell them, Hilda!

[loveobamas]

I agree, now that's change:

A Secretary of Labor we can actually be proud of!