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Allstate Fires Employee for Pro-Family Column Critical of Gay “Marriage”

CHICAGO, June 24, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – An employee of the Allstate insurance company has been fired from his job for comments that appeared in a men’s journal denouncing same-sex “marriage,” even though the statement was penned in the employee’s own spare time and from home.

“I explained to Allstate that the article was a reflection of my personal Christian beliefs, and that I had every right to both write it and to have it published,” J. Matt Barber told WorldNetDaily news. “I further explained that I had written the article while at home on my own time, that I never mentioned Allstate's name and that I neither directly nor indirectly suggested that Allstate shared my Christian beliefs or my views on same-sex marriage.”

Allstate made no attempt to hide its bigotry. According to its report, “The claimant was discharged from Allstate Insurance Company because an outside organization had complained about an article he had written while on his own time.” The company even tried to have Barber denied unemployment insurance, which can be withheld if a person was fired for a violation of company policy or rules.

Barber’s commentary on same-sex “marriage” appeared in the on line journal MensNewsDaily.com. A homosexual activist group had complained to Allstate after reading the article and noticing that Barber’s bio mentioned that he was an employee there. Barber said the magazine added the bio information without his knowledge.

“Marriage between one man and one woman, and the nuclear family have forever been cornerstones of civilized society,” Barber’s article began. “Regrettably, there are at present, many within the militant homosexual lobby who wish to take a sledge hammer to those cornerstones – many who hope to undermine both the historical and contemporary reality of marriage and family – many who, through judicial fiat, aim to circumvent the Constitution, the legislative process, and the overwhelming will of the people in an effort to redefine marriage. Accordingly, the unsolicited, oxymoronic and spurious expression ‘same-sex marriage’ has been forced into popular lexicon.”

Barber has retained the services of David Gibbs III, the same lawyer who fought on behalf of the Schindler family to save the life of their daughter, Terri Schiavo. “To have Fortune 100 companies like Allstate firing people for expressing their sincerely held religious beliefs and even their personal viewpoints on their own time demonstrates just how out of kilter things have gotten,” Gibbs said. Gibbs argues the termination is a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. “The law was intended to make sure people of faith didn't have to leave their religion or viewpoints at the workplace stairs,” he explained.

Allstate is a financial donor to homosexual-advocacy groups, including the LAMBDA Legal Defense and Education Fund, and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance against Defamation.

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Canadian Courts Approve Suspension of Teacher who Criticized Homosexuality in Letter to Editor
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/jun/05061408.html

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