From: WillNich@aol.com Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 11:15:49 EDT Subject: Fwd: Protest on Sat in Bloomington, IN Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 09:26:03 -0500 (EST) From: GLBTSSS at Indiana University Subject: Protest on Sat in Bloomington, IN Forwarded by Request: Please post widely: PLEASE PASS THIS ALONG TO YOUR FRIENDS. Reply-To: info@justiceinc.org PRESS RELEASE For immediate release - Thursday, August 12, 1999 Contacts: Josh Cazares 812-333-3433 C.J. Hawking 812-332-1710 Demonstration Called to Protest Firing of Gay Man by Local Business A demonstration has been called for 10:00 am on Saturday, August 14th, at the Fast Max Sunoco (Kocolene) service station and convenience store, at 1602 S. Walnut Street in Bloomington, Indiana, to protest the firing of store manager Bil Browning because of his sexual orientation. Fast Max Sunoco is owned by Kocolene Marketing Corporation, which operates dozens of stores in Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. The protest has been called by Pride At Work, a recently formed local community organization affiliated with the AFL-CIO that campaigns against discrimination on the job directed at gays and lesbians. Browning, who had worked at Fast Max Sunoco for nearly two years and been store manager since April 1st, was told by Kocolene management on August 2nd that he was being terminated for talking about his sexual orientation. Browning had raised the idea with Kocolene executives earlier in the summer about adding "sexual orientation" to the company's non-discrimination policy. Browning has an outstanding employee record, and the store under his management flourished and received accolades from top Kocolene management. "This is an appalling irony," said Josh Cazares, co-chair of Pride at Work. "An exemplary employee requests that top Kocolene management amend their company policy to ban on-the-job discrimination against gays and lesbians -- and he's fired for being gay!" "I've received five or six raises over the last year," said Bil Browning. "Our store has record sales. I've only received one, minor write-up by management in two years. I wasn't just a good worker for Fast Max Sunoco, I was a great worker. Then they turn around and fire me, without warning, solely because I'm gay. This is discrimination, pure and simple, and it's outrageous." Neither Indiana state nor federal law currently includes sexual orientation on the list of categories of people against which it is illegal to discriminate. National gay and lesbian organizations, the AFL-CIO, Pride at Work, and other civil rights and labor groups have been campaigning to get Congress to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) that would ban such employment discrimination. While it is illegal to fire a worker solely because they are African-American, or a woman, or Hispanic, or on account of age or disability, it remains legal in 40 states -- including Indiana -- to fire a worker solely because of their sexual orientation (unless the worker is protected by non-discrimination language in a union contract.) Kocolene Marketing Corporation does not include sexual orientation in their workplace non-discrimination policy. Pride at Work is calling on Kocolene to re-hire Browning and two other gay men who subsequently quit working at the Bloomington Fast Max Sunoco store as a result of a hostile work environment; to issue an apology to Browning; to add "sexual orientation" to their non-discrimination policy, as hundreds of other U.S. companies have done (including local companies such as GE and General Motors); and to pay Browning damages for creating a hostile work environment. A Press Conference with Bil Browning and community leaders will be held at the Fast Max Sunoco store following the demonstration at 11:30 am. If you have any comments, please call 24 hours a day: 1-(800)457-9886 ext 256 or write to: Attn: Bob Myers Kocolene Marketing Corporation PO Box 448 Seymour, Indiana 47274 Please keep any letters simple and non-insulting. ********************** ABOUT JUSTICE, INC.: Justice, Inc. is Indiana's statewide civil rights organization on gay, lesbian and HIV issues. Justice needs donations of both time and money to help us fight for our legislative issues. Justice, Inc. P. O. Box 2387 Indianapolis, IN 46206 (317) 634-9212 e-mail: info@justiceinc.org web site: www.justiceinc.org