How does this happen? Chick-fil-A branded as anti-gay?

[MrFun]

It's not preventing the free speech but it's attempting to punish it. It's not dissimilar to an employee getting fired at an unrelated job for speaking at a pro gay rally.

Individuals can boycott and have appreciation day and that's all fine but mayors attempting to impede permits for legal businesses would be wrong

Okay. So what is your opinion on employers perusing Facebook to snoop in applicants' Facebook walls? Should applicants be rejected based on content in their Facebook that is wholly irrelevant to the job they applied for?

I want to know if that constitutes as punishment for exercising free speech.


(yeah, I know there are privacy settings on FB, but for sake of argument, this is about FB pages that are public)

[Elok]

Probably not. However, the First Amendment only applies to the government. If a private employer fired someone for posting "I hate Jews" or something on FB, that might be grounds for wrongful termination but it wouldn't be a "violation of free speech" in the usual sense.

[rah]

If the pages are public then they're fair game in my opinion. Putting stuff out there that might cause a prospective employer to reject you is similar to committing a crime and posting the video.
If I was hiring a person this type of thing would make me question the persons decision making.
Now if it's in private areas and employers are demanding your access to see them, that's a totally different ballgame and I am 100% against that. (and I would never work for an organization that required that because that would make me question the companies decision making.


And if you're talking about after the fact (hiring) and then posting dumb stuff, it's a more gray area. As long as their personal page isn't tightly referencing the company, then I'd be more forgiving, but if they're implying that it's also a company stance then we have a big problem. Regardless, if it was brought to my attention as a boss, I'd sit down with the person and coach them a bit.

[MrFun]

Probably not. However, the First Amendment only applies to the government. If a private employer fired someone for posting "I hate Jews" or something on FB, that might be grounds for wrongful termination but it wouldn't be a "violation of free speech" in the usual sense.

Or if an employer fires someone after finding out on Facebook that he/she is gay?

[MrFun]

If the pages are public then they're fair game in my opinion. Putting stuff out there that might cause a prospective employer to reject you is similar to committing a crime and posting the video.
If I was hiring a person this type of thing would make me question the persons decision making.
Now if it's in private areas and employers are demanding your access to see them, that's a totally different ballgame and I am 100% against that. (and I would never work for an organization that required that because that would make me question the companies decision making.


And if you're talking about after the fact (hiring) and then posting dumb stuff, it's a more gray area. As long as their personal page isn't tightly referencing the company, then I'd be more forgiving, but if they're implying that it's also a company stance then we have a big problem. Regardless, if it was brought to my attention as a boss, I'd sit down with the person and coach them a bit.

Well, CFA executive/owner made his opinion public, so it's fair game then, by way of your argument.

[rah]

Where did I say that it wasn't fair game. He's entitled to say what he believes. And since he said it publicly we're entitled to respond how we would like (legal ones of course)
Mayors are OK saying that those don't reflect their values, (i do find it humorous when they claim it's the cities values) but when they try to use illegal means to punish someone or a company for their beliefs, then I have a problem.

[Elok]

Or if an employer fires someone after finding out on Facebook that he/she is gay?

That would be wrongful termination plus illegal discrimination, assuming the state covers sexual orientation under the slew of protected categories with race, gender, religion and the like. I think many, but not all, states include sexual orientation. For the ones that do not, you'd have to ask a lawyer. Maybe it's still wrongful termination, I don't know. Anyway, unless the employer is a government agency it can't possibly be a First Amendment issue. The only way this kerfuffle was FA-related was when they briefly threatened to block new construction over Cathy's views...boycotts are completely legal, no matter how silly and frivolous their reason, and I'd never call them "against free speech" or what-have-you.

[rah]

I consider boycotts just another face of freedom of speech.

[Al B. Sure!]

I was wondering how this even came about. He gave an interview in something called the Baptist Press. Are there gay rights activists who trawl every obscure print media for interviews by bigoted fast food CEO's?

[Ben Kenobi]

Are there gay rights activists who trawl every obscure print media for interviews by bigoted fast food CEO's?

The answer to that is, yes, yes they do.

[Felch]

I still don't see how mayors wanting to prevent CFA restaurants locating in their cities takes away CFA executives' free speech.

Then you're a ****ing idiot.

[Al B. Sure!]

I still don't see how mayors wanting to prevent CFA restaurants locating in their cities takes away CFA executives' free speech.

You don't see how government-imposed sanctions takes away Mr. Cathy's free speech rights?

If the government fines you for what you say, do you think that's not a violation of free speech rights, either? In both cases, the government is imposing a punishment.

[The Mad Monk]

I was wondering how this even came about. He gave an interview in something called the Baptist Press. Are there gay rights activists who trawl every obscure print media for interviews by bigoted fast food CEO's?

Professional activists need to justify their paychecks, same as the rest of us.

[giblets]

I was wondering how this even came about. He gave an interview in something called the Baptist Press. Are there gay rights activists who trawl every obscure print media for interviews by bigoted fast food CEO's?

The fact that the owner of Chick-fil-A gave money to hate groups? I don't know how it became common knowledge. I guess some people take an interest in said hate groups.

[DinoDoc]

Hate Groups? I'd think it be a bigger deal if the Cathy family gave money to the KKK.