Employee Fired for Anti-Gay Article

Crystal Dixon, who used to be the human resources employee for the University of Toledo, had filed a lawsuit against the university, stating that her only reason for termination was due to writing an article that criticized gays and their lifestyle, along with gay rights. While Dixon may have believed she had a case on her hands, this was entirely not true, as the United States District Judge, Davit Kats, dismissed her case, stating that an individual can, in fact, be fired, due to something of this nature, which in this case, was an anti-gay article written by Dixon.

It was in 2008 when Dixon was fired by the college and filed a complaint against the University of Toledo, stating that they violated the First Amendment. Dixon was terminated from her position because of an article she chose to write about for the Toledo Free Press. In the article, Dixons said gays and lesbians do not have claim to civil rights. Dixon also stated that homosexuals choose that lifestyle. She says that she is a Black woman and could never change that but that a homosexual could wake up one day and decided not to be gay anymore. Her article, for obvious reasons, offended many which led to her termination.

In the meantime, Dixon says that she was fired for freedom of speech, stating that there were other people within the university who also wrote for different publications in and around the area but did not receive any form of punishment.

However, the University of Toledo has a reputation to uphold. The university prides itself in providing a warm and welcoming environment for everyone, regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. The president of the University of Toledo, Dr. Lloyd Jacobs, made this very clear. And, when Dixon decided to have that article released, she did damage to her reputation which led people to question her ability to do her job in an efficient manner. Overall, it led to her termination.

There was a similar scenario that took place in New Jersey, with a high school teacher. The school district fired a former English teacher, Viki Knox, because she posted comments against homosexuals and gay lifestyles on Facebook. The school board president, Ray Perkins, said Knox needed to be terminated as students deserve to feel comfortable within their learning environment, regardless of their sexual preference. One comment Knox wrote on Facebook stated that homosexuality was a perverted sin, comparing homosexuals to those who have cancer. Knox also wrote that she is sick of seeing homosexuals parade around with their immoral behaviors, stating that she is speaking of what is right. Tenure charges were filed against Knox during the end of December.