Another example. Homophobia sucks!

[ThomCat]

Jennalaw, a DUer, an ally of ours, and a dear friend of mine works in a truly bigoted office. :(

They have been passing around a viral email I'm sure you've all seen. It has a list of pictures of women and ask you to guess which are really women and which are really men. At the bottom is says, Surprise, all of these pictures are of men.

The women in her office have been saying that all of the men in those pictures deserve to be killed! :wow:

Any straight man who met these men in drag have a RIGHT to kill these guys because they are in drag and look good. x(

Jenna was the only person who said, No, they look fine, and why would you want to hurt or kill anyone because of how they look?

She's being ostracized by her office. She has been told that they don't like the way she thinks. She's not a good person. And, because of a history of incidents like this she's a total outcast in her office. Nobody talks to her. they are all hostile to her. She is excluded from office treats and social activities and socializing. They are even trying to get her fired.

The company is backing the supervisor, not Jenna, because employees in that department are disposable, and anyone who is an outcast in that department is even more disposable.

I WISH I could find her a new place to work down here in the city closer to me. I need to get her out of that hell hole somehow. None of our allies should be stuck in a place like that dealing with that kind of treatment. :(

Thank you for letting me rant. This latest incident really has us both pissed off. If she could afford to quit she would have walked out today.

[bitchkitty]

1. Does Jenna have a lawyer?

Maybe she should get one. If I were her, I would have had a hidden tape recorder at my desk/on my person long before it got to this point.

When people are stuck in boring office jobs that are basically pointless, then they turn mean. I found this out a long, long time ago.

[ThomCat]

6. Her priority is getting out of there alive

and finding a better job. Hiring a lawyer is expensive and she can't afford it. She's hoping that if she ends up leaving before she finds another job it's because they fire her rather than forcing her to quit somehow. She'll need the unemployment benefits. :(

I used to have a lot of corporate contacts in NYC because I was a corporate consultant. Those have dried up because I don't work anymore, and the employment environment is horrible as we all know. So I haven't been able to get her out of there.

If any of you are in the tri-state area and know any good contacts please, please, please network for her. She would really appreciate the help. Especially after today's cruelty at work.

[bitchkitty]

16. Isn't what they're doing against the law?

They are discriminating against her because of her beliefs, and denying her right to free speech without fear of reprisal. If that's not illegal, it damned sure should be.

It couldn't hurt if she called a lawyer and see what he or she says.

[ThomCat]

17. I just spoke with her, and she's going to see if she can

record some of the stuff that goes on in this office without them knowing. If she can get proof of the hostile work environment then she'll have something to take to an attorney.

[bitchkitty]

18. I hope so.

Sometimes it is so much easier just to not make waves, but this is important. These people cannot crucify her because she believes that gays are equal. This sounds like something the ACLU might be interested in.

At the very least, she should start documenting every single incident as it occurs. Every single one, no matter how small, and she should write down everything she remembers about the way she's been treated.

Feel free to message me - I am very interested in this and I want Jenna to triumph, because if she does, we ALL win, gay or straight.

Please give her my love and solidarity.

[JenaLaw]

22. Thanks for the support!

It means a lot ;-)

I went home and told my current housemate and adopted brother, who is gay, what happened. He basically told me that I brought it on myself. That after all the years of BS I have put up with in this office, I should have learned by now not to open my mouth!

I need this horrible job's paycheck until a better one is offered to me. I stood by a friend of mine as he fought (and won) a lawsuit against his employer for sexual discrimination. I remember the toll it took on him, and do not know if I am strong enough to go through that myself.

[bitchkitty]

33. Whatever you decide to do, be sure

that you keep notes. I'm serious. Detailed notes - that could be the difference between winning in court or not, if it comes to that. And even if it doesn't, it would make a nice article to publish far and wide when you leave the cursed place!

Good luck to you. I admire you for speaking out. That takes courage.

[JenaLaw]

21. alive..

and with a single working brain cell still in my head!

[JenaLaw]

20. You hit the nail on the head...

my job is pointlessly boring...and it does leave too much time for behavior that I did not have time for back in High School...

I will start to carry a tape recorder with me. This week was gay bashing...other times it is religion (I am non-christian in a very pro-christian office) or weight issues (overweight too...) I will never fit into the pretty little mold that they want!

[sui generis]

2. So, does she have any of the statements about "should be killed"

in writing still? Attributed?

She really should keep those available, printed out, copied, and away from work.

Hate crimes suck, and claiming to want to kill someone because of the way they dress is, I believe, if not illegal or at the very least an indication of premeditation, it's definitely worth reporting to the FBI. Just in case one of those tits goes all Columbine and starts shooting up gay bars.

Just a thought.

And as a perk, they might actually be forced to let someone go if say, the newspaper got hold of it. Bad publicity REALLY sucks.

[ThomCat]

3. Unfortunately, it was printed and passed around so it was all verbal.

Nothing was in writing. I wish it was in writing. x(

Having an entire office advocate for hate crimes really should get some action, but it's one person's word against a bunch of other people. That's not going to go anywhere. :(

[sui generis]

8. oh man. why oh why couldn't I sell tickets

to that show. I would take pictures of the looks on those faces when I invited them to TRY to kill me or anyone around me, or else shut the fuck up. I have no issues ostracizing the office. I'll bet you most of the women in that office over the age of 40 are likely indistinguishable from men, without lipstick and heels anyway.

What would they do, beat some drag queen to death with a bag of cheetoh's? Still not gonna get them laid any faster, and they'll just be out of cheetoh's and looking at one pissed off orange drag queen.

[ThomCat]

11. I'd pay good money to be there holding a camera.

:)

[JenaLaw]

24. Cheetoh's!!!!!

AW, thanks for that laugh! I am going to officially make this my favorite office snack food, and let them wonder why I am giggling as I eat them..

(and by eat...I mean sneak...another office mate is bullimic. She has convinced management that the site/smell of food is keeping her from doing her job...so all food has been banned from our desks. They are trying to ban coffee now...and I will go on strike if they do!)

I have found hell on earth...and I spend 40 hours a week there...

[JenaLaw]

23. all verbal....

we do not even have individual emails at my company...customer service is not important enough for that.

I don't think anyone in my office is truly capeable of going Columbine (except me some days...but would never act on it!) They just like to shoot off attitude and pretend that they are on Jerry Springer or some horrible show like that.

As for the publicity angle...don't think I could collect unemployment if they fired me for that!

[YOY]

4. Wow. I am really sorry Jenna has to work with that.

My best bud at work is TG. Anyone messes with her and they mess with my straight white male ass as well.

[ThomCat]

7. I wish you worked in her office. She could use an ally.

But they've fired everyone she got along with. All the "trouble makers" have been removed one at a time. That means anyone who didn't fit into the sick culture there.

Anyone who isn't visibly, loudly religious. Anyone who doesn't join the gang against whomever the supervisor designates as the outcast. Anyone who doesn't keep their head down and expect nothing from the company.

She's all alone there now.

[YOY]

9. Not the best time to be unemployed.

She's welcome to apply here at *****. We've got a few but they shut their fucking mouths because they're outnumbered by liberals, blacks, Hindus, gays, muslims, and just generally well-educated people.

I stopped working with assholes years ago. They make for an unpleasant environment and stress.

[Name removed]

12. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[JenaLaw]

25. She is lucky...

to have a loyal friend!

[LeftHander]

5. SOunds like it is time for "Take a Drag Queen to Work Day"...nt

[ThomCat]

10. If it was possible to bring anyone into the office,

and if she wasn't all alone, then yes I agree that would be a wonderful tactic. :P

I used to look awesome in drag back in the day. But it's been a long, long time.

If a group of employees did this it would shake the place up and probably not cause too much retaliation. But if she did it all by herself she'd be fired immediately on some pretext of threatening the safety of the office.

x(

[JenaLaw]

27. pictures...please?

I would do just about anything to see them!!!!

[ThomCat]

30. If they still existed and I had any of them I would show them to you.

I never got copies. We were poor and making copies of prints was expensive. :P

I have no idea who got them or if they still have them, and I haven't been in touch with anyone from that group in decades!

[JenaLaw]

26. I would LOVE that!

Can we make it a national holiday??

PLEASE?

[TheWraith]

13. PLEASE HAVE HER DOCUMENT THIS.

Then find her a good lawyer who'll take the case cheap or pro bono. DU might be able to help on that count. From the way you describe it, she can own this place.

[ThomCat]

14. How do you doccument something like this

so that it would stand up in court? :shrug:

[TheWraith]

15. Get one of those tiny voice recorders that looks like a pen.

Have her walk around with it always turned on.

Get copies of any emails. Have her bait people by email, if possible. Get any independent accounts, such as other people she works with who aren't assholes. When the time comes, have the lawyer subpoena everybody involved in the conversations.

[JenaLaw]

28. will be hard to do

we do not have individual emails...just '[e-mail]" so there is no real way to trace the source / history of emails. I can try to tape conversations etc.

I really don't know if I have the strength to go the legal route though. I am going through a lot in my life right now (trying to relocate, dealing with a home forclosure, family with health problems etc). I stood by my good friend's side when he sued the US Postal Service for sexual discrimination back in the 90's. He won...but it took a lot out of him, emotionally, financially and mentally. I am just not sure if I am able to do that myself. There are too many battles that need to be fought...can't successfully fight them all!

[ThomCat]

32. Whatever happens, I'm here for you to lean on.

:hug:

[jonnyblitz]

19. that sucks, big hugs for Jennalaw.

:hug:

[JenaLaw]

29. Thanks Jonnyblitz!

can't wait to meet you next weekend for the big move!

[DU GrovelBot]

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