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From: jdh@hou5g.UUCP (Julia Harper)
Newsgroups: net.motss
Subject: Re: abetting discrimination (taking "fruits" off contracts)
Message-ID: <468@hou5g.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 19-Nov-84 09:50:37 EST
Article-I.D.: hou5g.468
Posted: Mon Nov 19 09:50:37 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 20-Nov-84 03:02:50 EST
Organization: AT&T Information Systems Laboratories, Holmdel, NJ
Lines: 25

to Ross: 

I suspect there are a lot of people (like you) for whom sexual 
preference, as well as race, color, creed, etc. are not an issue.  
They are willing to hire, or recommend such people for a job.  But 
people like you have no recourse but to get rid of a homosexual if you 
told to by a client or superior.  Currently, your client -- or your boss
-- or whoever -- can legally tell you to fire or not hire someone because 
they are gay.  If they didn't want a black there, they'd probably have
to think up another reason, and who knows, they might end up deciding it's
easier just to sit out the 3 months. 

One of the points of legislation against blantant discrimination is
that, hopefully, people will be LESS LIKELY to throw their discriminatory
views in your face, and force you to discriminate in turn.  They will 
have to be more subtle.   Fewer people will act on their prejudices  
if they feel it has been dubbed illegal.  (This is the hope...)

We all know that blacks, women, etc... are discriminated against despite
the legislation that has been passed (well, we don't ALL know, but most
of us do).  But legislation helps deter discrimination.  It helps
dampen the spread of blatant outright discrimination.  I hope you are
for civil rights legislation for gays.  It may even help you with the 
placement of your programmer!