http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/04/18/1292893/-South-Carolina-Mayor-Fires-Town-s-First-Female-Police-Chief-Because-She-s-Gay?detail=facebook
Republicans argue that there is no need to enact anti-discrimination laws to protect LGBT people. They claim current law already offers enough protection. If there ever was a situation that argued against that opinion, this story from South Carolina is it.
(Any underlines are mine.)"...Latta (South Carolina) is about to be on the national map for all the wrong reasons.
That police chief is Crystal Moore, who has been with the force in Latta for more than 20 years. She rose to the rank of police chief by posting exemplary service records. In fact, she never received an official reprimand in all of her time on the force, until Tuesday when Bullard presented her with seven reprimands and a pink slip.
A public spat between the two has been ongoing. Moore questioned the mayor's decision to give the keys to a city-owned town car to a director of the Parks Department, who was known to have a suspended license at the time. Moore investigated the matter and arrested the director...
...But closer examination reveals that perhaps the mayor's retaliation has to do with something a little bit different. Before the original arrest took place, Bullard was recorded by a city council member (talking about) Moore:
'I would rather have..and I will say this to anybody's face...somebody who drank and drank too much taking care of my child than I had somebody whose lifestyle is questionable around children.
Because that ain't the damn way it's supposed to be. You know...you got people out there--I'm telling you, buddy--I don't agree with some of the lifestyles that I see portrayed and I don't say anything because that is the way they want to live, but I am not going to let my child be around.
I'm not going to let two women stand up there and hold hands and let my child be aware of it. And I'm not going to see them do it with two men neither. I'm not going to do it. Because that ain't the way the world works.
No, all these people...saying 'Oh, it's a different lifestyle they can have it.' Okay, fine and dandy, but I don't have to look at it and I don't want my child around it.'
Find and dandy, indeed. It's not a far leap to conclude that this mayor just fired the town's well-respected police chief because he gets real nervous around openly gay women. You know, so much so that he'd rather pass his (kids) off to a bunch of drunks--probably with suspended licenses--than to the local police chief.
To the town's credit, its people have been surprisingly supportive of Moore in the wake of this incident.
Crystal Moore shortly after she was fired by Mayor Bullard
The article continues and offers the opinion that ex-chief Moore could own the town if she decided to sue; but given the lack of protection current law gives LGBT people, I wonder if that is true.
My grandmother used to tell me that the things you dislike about another person are really things you're afraid to recognize in yourself. My grandmother never lied to me; so, if I were a citizen of Latta, South Carolina, I'd be keeping a close eye on Mayor Bullard.
No comments:
Post a Comment