Gay firefighters complain

[firefighter_632]

After reading the story on firehouse.com I can sum up my feelings in one word, wah! As an instructor told my class just this week "If you have thin skin in this business. You need to grow a turtle shell!". The fire service is what it is, take it or leave it! Personally I would not want any homosexuals anywhere near this line of work as they tend to bring their lifestyle with them. That leads to a bad image for the department!!

[DeputyChiefGonzo]

Another "newbie" bringing up a thread that is sure to start a conflagration...

In that vein...

I don't want to work with gourmet cooks... they will want to bring their lifestyle into the firehouse. Before you know it they will want to prepare Chateaubriand and it be too expensive. Eating gourmet food is a bad image for the fire service!

I don't want to work with golf nuts...they bring their lifestyle into the station. Putters and irons and golf balls everywhere...a bad image for the fire service!

I don't want to work with car nuts...they bring their lifestyle into the firehouse. They will be preaching about high performance and leaving cans of wax everywhere. Their cars will make the fire trucks look bad...a bad image for the fire service!

I don't want to work with NASCAR fans. They will want to watch all the races while they are at the firehouse and bring their lifesyle into the firehouse. The next thing you know, they will want to paint a sponsor and numbers on the the rig then draft the 1st due engine and beat us to the fire...a bad image for the fire service!

I don't want to work with male,female, heterosexual,homosexual,bisexual, black,hispanic,asian,caucasian,liberal,conservativ e,democrat,republican,libertarian,catholic,protest ant,jewish,buddhist,agnostic,atheist,volunteer,pai d on call or career firefighters. They bring their lifestyle and attitude with them and that leaves a bad image for the fire service!

The bottom line is...

we are firefighters!

To "paraphrase" firefighter 632..

If you have a thin skin in this business...and you don't like any of the personalities mentioned above (or anyone, for that matter!) grow a turtle shell, grow up and get ovet it! If you don't like it, leave...there is a list of people who want the job!

[ 07-28-2001: Message edited by: Captain Gonzo ]

[dfriday]

I would treat these perverts just like anyone else, as I do not care to be sued or cause problems for my department. My personal opinion, though, is that they have no place in the fire service. They and their advocates fail to to take one thing into account in their zeal to obtain special treatment for them: Homosexuality is wrong. God's word says so.

[LACAPT]

FF632 and dfriday I couldn't agree with you more. as for you alternative lystyle folks (notice the political correctness eh!), keep your lifestyle to yourself, nobody but you and your freaks need to know what you do or what you like. If you do that then you won't need special treatment or rights, can't you people get that through your heads. You don't see hetrosexual people marching in the streets proclaiming their sexual preference as a need to march. we have only started this counter marchs to represent the moral and I repeat moral majority. Give it a break and crawl back in your miserable closets.

[Turk II]

Perhaps we need to come up with a few more certifications. I recommend the following...

Getting Along With Our Coworkers Awareness
Understanding Our Differences Operational
Anti-Bigotry Tech

Bottom line is that chances are a firefighter can climb a ladder just as fast and back you up just as well whether the firefighter is black, white, gay, straight, or left handed.

Before we get into a stupid argument composed of nothing more than pointless comments maybe we should just end it here.

- Turk II

[Plug-Ugly]

This issue goes much further than just sexual orientation, it is also about minority and female discrimination. I think we are now starting to see the repercussions of those court ordered affirmative action programs of the 1970's. It was just a matter of time before hard feelings surfaced because some were hired and/or promoted because of their race or gender and not because of their merits. Some standards were even lowered to accomodate these groups when there were not enough people passing the general knowledge or physical fitness exams to meet the established quotas.

This was supposed to be in reparation for 400 years of discrimination but preferential treatment towards any group will only lead to hard feelings and retribution. This reverse discrimination has not and will not ever work.

Keep the same standards for all and no one will have anything to complain about.

As far as firefighters endangering or not helping another firefighter in peril, I have no use for you at all. We may not like each other, for whatever reason, but when we're on the fireground together we are all one team. Either be part of that team or get out!

If you are a firefighter and witness this poor behavior, report it. If you are an officer, do something about it. Anything less is unacceptable and proves you have little or no testicular fortitude.

[mongofire_99]

You don't have to respect/accept someone because they are gay, but you can respect/accept them in spite of it. As long as they don't make it your business it ain't your business. When they do then we got problems.

Captain Gonzo

I don't want to work with golf nuts...they bring their lifestyle into the station. Putters and irons and golf balls everywhere...a bad image for the fire service!

Dang Cap you know it! Them golfers... got to watch the open... got to watch the masters, got to watch the golf channel....

Ever notice they'll take an axe, haligan or short hook and practice their stroke in the station OR on the scene, or worse, they'll just "air-golf" with no club or ball!....

ENOUGH ALREADY!....

Calgon Take Me AWAY!

Turk II

...and back you up just as well...

Couldn't you have used a different phrase

Plug-Ugly

This issue goes much further than just sexual orientation, it is also about minority and female discrimination

Minorities and females choose to be minorities and female?

If you are a firefighter and witness this poor behavior, report it. If you are an officer, do something about it. Anything less is unacceptable and proves you have little or no testicular fortitude.

Regardless of any differences we may have, I agree.

[ 07-28-2001: Message edited by: mongofire_99 ]

[Plug-Ugly]

Mongofire_99

Originally posted by mongofire_99:

Plug-Ugly

This issue goes much further than just sexual orientation, it is also about minority and female discrimination

Minorities and females choose to be minorities and female?

**I didn't say they have a choice or if I am pro or con on this issue, I'm just saying that the whole story in the FH article being talked about in firefighter_632's original post includes minority and female discrimination, not just gay discrimination.

If you are a firefighter and witness this poor behavior, report it. If you are an officer, do something about it. Anything less is unacceptable and proves you have little or no testicular fortitude.

Regardless of any differences we may have, I agree.

**I didn't know we had any differences. Please feel free to point them out.


[ 07-28-2001: Message edited by: mongofire_99 ]

[ 07-28-2001: Message edited by: Plug-Ugly ]

[mongofire_99]

I didn't know we had any differences. Please feel free to point them out.

I stated this and used "may" as your post equating sexual oreintation with minorities and females gives me the impression (possibly the wrong one) that you may believe gays are born that way and I do not believe that.

If I have the worng impression on that, then you have my apology.

[SFD13]

As long as you can do the job, I don't care if your white, black, purple, green, hetrosexual, homosexual, bisexual, man, woman. Fire doesn't what you are.

This kind of tread, should go into the dumpser along with the career vs volunteer crap!

[CollegeBuff]

Captain Gonzo

::shakes head, laughing::

I HAVE to meet you, Cap.


dfriday,

God's word said so.

God, you mean the God who said that if a man dies without a son, his brother should marry his widow and "do the duty of a husband's brother to her"?

Or maybe it was the God who said slavery was ok......

Do you believe we should follow ALL of God's word?

Or just parts that give you an excuse to hate someone?

[ 07-29-2001: Message edited by: CollegeBuff ]

[ffguy083]

I should let this go, but I have to say something... College Buffs remarks about God, and some other remarks about God have gone too far.

OK, so God says Homosexuality is wrong in very explicit terms. And I am what most would call very Religious.

But both remarks offend me. God's word also says to love your brother. I detest Homosexuality, but I don't detest Homosexuals. I don't judge them for what they do, and I am certainly friendly with them when given the opportunity. So, let's not throw around Homosexuality is a sin, so to h*** with them. Sorry, but we all sin, and Homosexuality is no worse than any other sin (lying, cheating, etc.)...

Now to say the bible tells us the things that College whatever said. I think it is obvious to most that is taking the scriptures out of context. Those were directions to the Isrealites when they were a new nation. The bible also had men with multiple wives, but we all realize (I hope) that that law was changed many years ago.

So, feel free to argue, but let's leave the God arguments out of it. It's unfair to everyone to take the bible out of context.

[bfd1071]

I was hoping not to see this come up as a board, and what i was really nervous about was this becomeing a heated debate. I want to clear the air, Every department has a few bad apples. Mrs Miller has a history and a major axe to grind with the BFD. Check out the link http://www.landlaw.com//cgi-bin/high...=Karen,miller,

As for us leaving a female in a fire building?? It never happened. She runs to the media months after the fire and tells them how she fell thru the floor and was left to die. Truth, her foot went into a hole and she paniced and started screaming.

Now for my feelings on this homosexual, and race thing. I do not care what color your skin is, all i want is for you to be a firefighter!! And by firefighter I mean one who is in the sh&t when I am. One who is beside me and not behind me, one I can count on. Mrs MIller is not any of the above. She has stated in the Boston papers that the white firefighters have put her and many minorites lives in danger, truth be told, her actions at a fire have put many lives in Danger, If she spent as much energy on learning and becoming a firefighter as she does attempting to sue the dept she might just make it.

[Althea Forhan]

Originally posted by dfriday:
I would treat these perverts just like anyone else, as I do not care to be sued or cause problems for my department. My personal opinion, though, is that they have no place in the fire service. They and their advocates fail to to take one thing into account in their zeal to obtain special treatment for them: Homosexuality is wrong. God's word says so.

That may be your interperatation of the bible, but mine, and many others is:God loves everyone unconditionaly (that means "no matter what"). Why can't you?

There are plenty of gays on my department and they all have thick skin like you wouldn't imagine. It's been a real pleasure working with them as it is with any of our other members.

Althea

[FHandz17]

Wow. I read the Judge's ruling on the female from BFD and the TV show. Wow.

Remember that Saturday Night Live skit years ago? "What were you thinking?"

Like I said, Wow.