John Whitehead's Commentary

"All that gay and lesbian people are asking for is, if not understanding, then at least tolerance. All they are asking for is the same basic civil equality that all Americans yearn for and should be entitled to." -- Iowa State Rep. Ed Fallon

For many years, the rallying cry of the gay rights movement has been for greater tolerance and equal treatment -- something due all Americans. Rarely, however, does one see those who champion tolerance for gays urging tolerance for other viewpoints. As gays have approached the mainstream, individuals who express concern about the gay lifestyle have found themselves ostracized. That is evident nowhere more than in corporate America.

In recent years, the tendency among corporations has been to aggressively advocate tolerance toward homosexuals. According to the Human Rights Campaign, the largest gay rights advocacy group in the country, 333 of the Fortune 500 companies have written policies prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation. Many also require their employees to undergo sensitivity training on the subject.

Such protection of the gay lifestyle in the business world has caused concern among some heterosexual employees, including religious employees, who often find that their rights to freedom of religion and freedom of conscience are not being accommodated by such companies. One example is Albert Buonanno.

In January 2001, Buonanno, an employee of AT&T, was handed a new AT&T Broadband Employee Handbook and asked to sign an "Acknowledgment of Receipt and Certificate of Understanding." The certificate stated, in part, "I agree to follow the policies, rules and regulations contained in the handbook and to abide by any revisions made to them in the future."

Upon reviewing the 84-page handbook, however, Buonanno -- a Christian with biblically based beliefs regarding homosexuality -- found several parts to which he could not in good conscience conform. On page 6, in the section titled "Diversity," the handbook stated: "Each person at AT&T Broadband is charged with the responsibility to fully recognize, respect and value the differences among all of us." On page 67, the company gave sexual orientation protected status.

For Buonanno, to acknowledge respect for a lifestyle that he believes to be sinful would be a compromise of his faith and a contradiction of the Bible's views on homosexuality. So Buonanno notified his supervisor that -- based on his religious beliefs -- he could not sign the certificate of understanding. Buonanno added, however, that he had no problem declaring he would neither discriminate against nor harass people who were different from him, including homosexuals. He simply wanted to remain true to his faith and do his job.

AT&T's response was typical of many politically correct establishments. The company gave Buonanno two choices: sign the certificate or be fired. Though his religious beliefs should have been accommodated in some fashion, his employment was terminated.

His case is only one among many in which employees have been wrongfully denied accommodation and the right to freedom of conscience because of their religious beliefs -- rights guaranteed both under federal law and under the First Amendment to the Constitution.

The issue is about more than an individual's objection to homosexuality. It concerns the freedom of conscience -- the right of individuals to object to something they believe is wrong, especially when it contradicts their religious beliefs, whether about war, abortion, homosexuality or whatever. That has always been a fundamental right guaranteed to all Americans. Such objections -- unless they interfere with the clearly defined mission of the employer -- must be accommodated.

Freedom of conscience in the workplace is an issue that we all need to support. Indeed, should anyone, gay or straight, be forced to deny and violate what they believe are sincerely held religious beliefs?

The First Amendment doesn't apply only to speech that is politically correct or popular. It was written to protect speech that others might consider politically incorrect and unpopular. It was also written to protect those individuals who may not be part of the mainstream -- people such as Albert Buonanno. It specifically protects the right of religious minorities to practice their religion without being harassed and denied a rightful place in the work force for doing so.

Gay people know what it means to be discriminated against because of lifestyle or beliefs. They therefore should be the first to defend people like Albert Buonanno. And we should demand that our workplaces not become bastions of conformity -- where only accepted beliefs prevail. Indeed, if we truly believe in tolerance and diversity, then we all must practice it.

ABOUT JOHN W. WHITEHEAD

Constitutional attorney and author John W. Whitehead is founder and president of The Rutherford Institute. His most recent books are the best-selling Battlefield America: The War on the American People, the award-winning A Government of Wolves: The Emerging American Police State, and a debut dystopian fiction novel, The Erik Blair Diaries. Whitehead can be contacted at staff@rutherford.org. Nisha Whitehead is the Executive Director of The Rutherford Institute. Information about The Rutherford Institute is available at www.rutherford.org.

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