And just suppose an Alabama legislator proposed a law that would put an end to that.
You might think that bill would become a cause celebre, with Alabama lawmakers lining up to co-sponsor it.
You’d be dead wrong.
Rep. Patricia Todd, D-Birmingham, proposed a bill in March that would prohibit schools and state agencies from firing employees because of their sexual orientation. The bill explicitly protects workers from being fired because of their “real or perceived heterosexuality, homosexuality, or bisexuality.”
Amazingly, that protection doesn’t already exist here. As a right-to-work state, Alabama allows employers to fire people for just about anything that’s not prohibited by federal civil rights laws. And sexual orientation isn’t explicitly mentioned in those laws.
So, if you’re straight -- indeed, if you have any sexual orientation at all -- your employer can fire you just for being who you are.
Admittedly, the state is not exactly awash in reports of people being fired because they’re heterosexual.
But Todd says she’s heard from a lot of gay teachers, who are afraid to come out for fear of getting a pink slip.
Todd’s bill has been around for weeks, and it hasn’t even made it to a committee hearing. Todd herself acknowledges that the thing is “dead.”
We’re not sure why. Maybe lawmakers just don’t like straight people.
Or there could be some other reason.
From the Anniston Star -- Bill would protect gay teachers from being fired.
