So Saying That Folks Should Follow Christian Morals is NOW A Firing Offense

So, let them say what they have to say and ridicule them for it.

Even people such as myself who think he is a jerk and have no respect for his religious beliefs need to side with him and his family over this matter.

Sarah Palin's been protesting the suspension of this man. So, why, if she's such a champion of free speech, didn't she protest MSNBC's firing of Martin Bashir because of the remarks he made about her?

engineer wrote:

Brandon9000 wrote:

If they had fired an actor for expressing the opposite opinion, you would be advocating a law suit.

Others possibly, not me. I know that shows can hire or fire actors at their discretion. Ask Charlie Sheen.

Charlie Sheen, let's remember, was fired for erratic and inappropriate behavior, not for expressing an opinion publicly.

No, his version of his beliefs are not common, not these days.

...One person's public opinion is another person's erratic behavior...

I think it is become clear that corporate america will on average be willing to put up zero fight for American citizen free speech .

better would be to let them make their case, try to understand it,

engineer wrote:

...One person's public opinion is another person's erratic behavior...

Oh, sorry, but you can't stifle free speech by labeling opinions you agree with as a sign of mental defect. Nice try.

Gotta wonder about all these people who call it a free speech issue. How many of them are the same people who try to stop any gay voices in the media because "they're trying to cram their homosexual lifestyle down out throats". Seems like it's only free speech to them if it agrees with extreme-right Christian rigid orthodoxy

Why do you think gays had to remain closeted for so long?

You never even heard gay voices in the media until relatively recently.

He seemed to be implying that someone tried to remove gay voices which were already present and I asked for an example. I don't say it never happened, but I can't think of an example.

Ratings for “The Puppy Episode” were significantly higher than Ellen’s average ratings that season; approximately 42 million viewers watched Ellen come out on primetime. Although Chrysler decided to not buy ad time for the episode, claiming that it was their policy to avoid hot-button issues, it was the only corporate sponsor who withdrew from the show—and only for “The Puppy Episode.” The episode won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series in 1997, as well as a GLAAD Media Award and a Peabody Award in 1998.

But all the praise was swamped by a negative conservative backlash. The right-wing group Media Research took out a full-page ad on the back cover of Variety on April 17 claiming that ABC and Disney were “promoting homosexuality to America’s families.” Pat Robertson, Phyllis Schafly, Rev. Donald Wildmon, and Rev. Jerry Falwell joined a group of antigay right-winters to sign a scathing letter characterizing “The Puppy Episode” as “a slap in the face to America’s families.”

DeGeneres soon felt the sting personally, as well, when the Washington Post and the New York Times both criticized her for being too openly affectionate with Anne Heche at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Although DeGeneres and Heche claimed that they weren’t doing anything that a straight couple would do, the New York Times characterized their behavior as an “ostentatious display of affection,” thereby teaching all future lesbian couples that they should do no more than hold hands in public.

As Ellen’s fifth season began, criticism began to mount that the show was no longer funny, possibly because it was “too gay”—a quote famously attributed to GLAAD’s Chastity Bono, who later claimed it was taken out of context. But the fifth season did deal with Ellen Morgan’s sexuality; she began dating a woman, and several episodes poked fun at Hollywood’s obsession with gay celebrities. Unable to bring in the ratings, Ellen was cancelled at the end of Season 5.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Stuart Bloomberg, chairman of ABC entertainment, stated that “as the show became more politicized and issue-oriented, it became less funny and audiences noticed.” Stephen Tropiano, author of The Prime Time Closet, notes, “Instead of simply stating that the show was canceled due to low ratings, he claims that because the material was more politicized (translation: gay) and issue-oriented (translation: gay), it became less funny (translation: too gay).” Obviously, no straight TV shows are ever criticized for being “too straight.”

Although DeGeneres did suffer a backlash that put her career on the rocks for several years, her coming-out and the furor that followed paved the way for other primetime shows with gay characters. It seemed that now that someone had come out—both onscreen and off—America was ready to deal with a lead gay character, as long as they weren’t “too gay.”
http://www.afterellen.com/back-in-the-day-coming-out-with-ellen/04/2005/

Oprah Winfrey: After Ellen DeGeneres' Coming Out Episode, I Was Called The N Word
08/22/2012

Ellen DeGeneres made the bold choice to come out on national television in the legendary 1997 "puppy episode" of ABC's "Ellen," which featured appearances from major stars like Oprah Winfrey, Laura Dern, Billy Bob Thornton, Demi Moore, Melissa Etheridge and many more.

The episode and decision to come out blacklisted DeGeneres in Hollywood and negatively affected some of the guest stars as well. Winfrey, who played the therapist that helped Ellen realize she was gay in the episode, told The Hollywood Reporter, "I did it because she asked me to do it and I wanted to support her ... It didn't occur to me that there would be a backlash."

Winfrey recalled receiving hateful phone calls and letters after the episode, which brought in 42 million viewers, hit airwaves. "I got all of the, 'N-----, go back to Africa. Who do you think you are?'" Winfrey said, noting to THR that she'd never experienced such things before.

And Winfrey is not alone. Dern, who played the object of Ellen's affection in the "puppy episode," appeared on an episode of "The Ellen Degeneres Show" a decade later in 2007 and opened up about the aftermath. "There was certainly backlash," said Dern, who couldn't get work for a year-and-half in the wake of the episode, despite her Oscar nomination. She said she got some "not-so-nice letters" and described the experience as "awfully terrifying," but said it was an "honor" and an "extraordinary opportunity" nonetheless. Now, she stars on "Enlightened," which has earned her a Golden Globe Award.

Things have improved for DeGeneres as well: Fifteen years after the "puppy episode" -- and after Winfrey's retirement -- DeGeneres is now the top-earner in daytime TV.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/22/oprah-ellen-degerenes-coming-out-n-word_n_1822961.html

If your employer feels that your public statements about mud people are damaging to their business, they are entitled to cease your employment. That the religion in this case is a sect of Christianity doesn't convey any additional protection.

The job of corporate America is to make money for their stockholders