Ygorl

* My comments in red *

Four firefighters are suing the city of San Diego for being forced by their superiors to attend the annual "Gay Pride" parade where they endured a barrage of sexual taunts and lewd gestures.

San Diego's fire chief, Tracy Jarman, is an open lesbian who called the July 21 parade a "fun event" in which "all employees are encouraged to participate."

But the firefighters said, unlike previous years, they were ordered into uniform to participate in the parade in their fire truck, despite their repeated protests.

The firefighters' legal counsel, the Thomas More Law Center, said the men were "left with the Hobson's choice of either violating their conscience or being disciplined for disobeying a direct order."

The firefighters, described as devoted husbands and fathers, said they were subject to the most vulgar kinds of sexual harassment.

"You could not even look at the crowd without getting some type of sexual gesture," one said, adding, "If any crew member were to hang up pictures at the station of what we saw, we would be disciplined."

Over the course of three hours, they heard statements such as, "show me your hose," "you can put out my fire," "you're making me hot," "give me mouth-to-mouth," "you look hungry, why don't you have a twinkie (from a man wearing a "Girth and Mirth" t-shirt)," and "blow my hose."

When they refused to respond to the crowd, some in the crowd turned hostile and started shouting, "F--- you firemen" and others began "flipping them off."

San Diego area attorney, Charles LiMandri, the West Coast director of the Thomas More Law Center, insists the city should have known from past experience "the kind of offensive activities that go on at this event."

"This was a clear case of sexual harassment in violation of state and federal law as well as the City's own code of conduct," he said.

LiMandri said the firefighters also were targets of sexual gestures, including exposure of genitals, blowing kisses, grabbing of the crotch, rubbing of nipples, tongue gestures and men hugging and kissing one another passionately – many wearing make-up and dressed like women.

Richard Thompson, president and chief counsel of the Thomas More Law Center argued the constitutional right to free speech also protects the right not to speak.

"These men should not have to explain to their families, friends and church congregations that their presence at a celebration of lewdness and obscenity in support of the homosexual agenda was because they were forced there by way of a direct order," he said. "This is a clear violation of their constitutional rights, and the city must be held accountable. It should never happen again to any city employee."

Jarman, the city fire chief, insisted when she was appointed that her homosexuality had never been an issue at the department.

But Thompson maintained the firefighters' ordeal was "another example of how radical homosexual activists in positions of authority force their agenda on unwilling citizens."

"Although the local media avoided mentioning the debauchery and the obscenity that pervaded the parade, the general public should know what went on and how these firefighters were forced to participate against their will," he said.

As WND reported, prior to the parade, the San Diego City Council unanimously adopted a resolution introduced by Mayor Jerry Sanders to designate July as "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Month."

* this is how "homosexuals" behave in PUBLIC ? Yet they're asking our entire culture to accept them as healthy and normal ? To redefine the meaning of a human relationship (marriage) to mean that it is no different than what THEY do and how THEY behave ?

Yeah, pretty neat stuff *

WorldNetDaily: Tough-guy firefighters forced into 'Gay Pride' parade

MikeT

The problem I have with this is that the firefighters didn't protest before going to the parade. They should have taken a stand and not put themselves in such a position to begin with.

If I were to head to Mardi Gras and expect not to be flashed by women, then sue the city for being offended, I likely wouldn't stand a chance.

It's not what happened to these firefighters at the parade that concerns me, nor is it the sexual preferene of their boss--it's the idea that they believe they were ordered to do something outside of their official duties as firefighters or lose their job.

That's the core of the problem. The "gay" stuff is just an aside. If the firefighers had been ordered to attend a Catholic mass and worship outside of their faith or lose their job, I would consider it just as actionable.

Alun

Yes Ygorl, clearly the behavior at that parade applies to all homosexuals; we know already that straight people would never do something like that. Otherwise we'd still have strip clubs, pornography, promiscuity, and adultery.

MikeT, it looks like the firefighters did repeatedly complain beforehand, and at that point they didn't even know exactly what they were getting into. I hope the gay pride movement does all it can to distance itself from this kind of display and make sure it doesn't happen again.

__________________
"I have nothing new to teach the world." -Mohandas "Mahatma" Gandhi

MikeT

That's a good point. I did see where they complained, but I was referring to a more public/formal protest. Certainly they could have written a letter stating that if they lost their jobs because they refused to attend, then they would bring a lawsuit. That in itself would have been a strong enough stand to end the matter.

Of course, these are my assumptions, and as such are probably worth only the paper they aren't written on.

Excellent point about the strip clubs as well.

Izzibeth

Yeah, I certainly don't get lewd gestures or loud cat-calls or unwanted advances from heterosexual men when I'm walking down the street, going for a jog, driving in my car... etc. Heterosexual men would never do something like that! I've never been told "fck you bitch!" or gotten "flipped the bird" by a heterosexual guy who I ignored or gave a dirty look to when he came on to me. Saying "this is how homosexuals act" as if they are the only males and females that engage in unwanted sexual behavior is ridiculous.

Come on.

__________________

Ygorl

Text from the article:


...the firefighters said, unlike previous years, they were ordered into uniform to participate in the parade in their fire truck, despite their repeated protests.

Ygorl

Yes, it makes one wonder if the folks at these "gay pride' events WANT to keep gay behaviour seen as disgusting and wrong by mainstream doesn't it ?

If they want people to accept them and see them as normal, is this the way TOWARDS that goal ?

rharrelson

I believe that as is the case with many other things in this world. A certain percentage of the population will be homosexual, just like lefthanded people to right handed people.

I do not understand why such actions must be taken to keep them segregated from society. This I belive is a tactic to continue to stip away at the constitution of the united states of America.

__________________
Ryan Harrelson
www.saveamericacampaign.com

Ygorl

That seems to be the case.

I wouldn't compare it to left handed and right handedness though.

That's just as incorrect a comparison as saying:

... a certain percentage of the population will be homosexual, just like a certain percentage of the population will be defectively deformed or retarded.

This is a sexual deviance not a physical difference.

What actions were being taken to "keep them segregated from society" ?

A lesbian fire chief demanding her straight male firemen attend a gay pride event ?

You lost me there. How does that work ?

Who is being kept segregated from society ?

Izzibeth

So the lesbian firechief with a lapse in judgment is a spokeswoman for all gays now?

__________________