Florida welcomed same sex marriage this week, bringing the number of states with gay marriage now to 35. But not everyone in the Sunshine State is welcoming the fact.
Wasting no time in responding to the new law, the Archdiocese of Miami is warning its employees this week that they could be fired for any conduct that is “inconsistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church.”
To wit, say anything nice about gays or gay marriage and we’ll can you.
The hard-hitting letter, penned by Archbishop Thomas Wenski, informs employees that “because of the Church’s particular function in society, certain conduct, inconsistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church, could lead to disciplinary action, including termination, even if it occurs outside the normal working day and outside the strict confines of work performed by the employee for the Archdiocese.”
Imposing a startling new Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (and Whatever You Do, Don’t Show) gag order on their employees this week, it seems that gay invisibility isn’t just being requested by the Archdiocese, it’s now mandatory or you’ll be fired.
As hiring practices go, the new directive bluntly contravenes the spirit of workplace equality legislation, but that’s nothing new. Whilst insisting that they be protected by so-called “religious liberty” bills, it’s become clear that what many religious organizations really want is to be protected by “religious discrimination” bills, the better to purge their traditions of anyone they dislike without consequence.
Wenski’s letter further warned employees that the new conduct requirements are public and private, even extending to their online posts. The Archdiocese now clearly wants to police your online life, your Facebook updates and even your thoughts.
“Employees should exercise discretion when posting on social media sites, and note that online activity indicative of prohibitive behaviors may subject an employee to disciplinary action or termination," it read.
If we see it and we don’t like it we will drop you like a hot cake, the letter contends.
The new order is no idle threat. According to NBC the Archdiocese of Miami encompasses 118 parishes and missions across Miami-Dade, Broward, and Monroe counties and claims 1.3 million parishioners. It operates 73 elementary and high schools, two hospitals, two seminaries, nine health care centers, and three senior living centers.
Miami's two Catholic colleges, St. Thomas University and Barry University, have a combined enrollment of over 13,000 students with more than 1000 faculty members and administrative staffers.
That’s a lot of employees to monitor and threaten. What could possibly go wrong?
By Cahir O’Doherty
Florida welcomed same sex marriage this week, bringing the number of states with gay marriage now to 35. But not everyone in the sunshine state is welcoming the fact.
Wasting no time in responding to the new law the Archdiocese of Miami is warning its employees this week that they could be fired for any conduct that is “inconsistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church.”
To wit, say anything nice about gays or gay marriage and we’ll can you.
The hard hitting letter, penned by Archbishop Thomas Wenski, informs employees that “because of the Church’s particular function in society, certain conduct, inconsistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church, could lead to disciplinary action, including termination, even if it occurs outside the normal working day and outside the strict confines of work performed by the employee for the Archdiocese.”
Imposing a startling new Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (and Whatever You Do, Don’t Show) gag order on their employees this week, it seems that gay invisibility isn’t just being requested by the Archdiocese, it’s now mandatory or you’ll be fired.
As hiring practices go, the new directive bluntly contravenes the spirit of workplace equality legislation, but that’s nothing new. Whilst insisting that they be protected by so-called “religious liberty” bills, it’s become clear that what many religious organizations really want is to be protected by “religious discrimination” bills, the better to purge their traditions of anyone they dislike without consequence.
Wenski’s letter further warned employees that the new conduct requirements are public and private, even extending to their online posts. The Archdiocese now clearly wants to police your online life, your Facebook updates and even your thoughts.
“Employees should exercise discretion when posting on social media sites, and note that online activity indicative of prohibitive behaviors may subject an employee to disciplinary action or termination," it read.
If we see it and we don’t like it we will drop you like a hot cake the letter contends.
The new order is no idle threat. According to NBC the Archdiocese of Miami encompasses 118 parishes and missions across Miami-Dade, Broward, and Monroe counties and claims 1.3 million parishioners. It operates 73 elementary and high schools, two hospitals, two seminaries, nine health care centers, and three senior living centers.
Its two colleges St. Thomas University and Barry University have a combined enrollment of over 13,000 students with more than 1000 faculty members and administrative staffers.
That’s a lot of employees to monitor and threaten. What could possibly go wrong?
****<script type="text/javascript" charset="UTF-8" src="http://www.nbcmiami.com/portableplayer/?cmsID=287619981&videoID=DpptqnpJIxzX&origin=nbcmiami.com&sec=news&subsec=local&width=500&height=350"></script>
Comments