Apparently Starbucks needs to remind managers of that, at least this one in Centereach, Long Island (my husband's old stomping grounds & an area I've been to a few times). Check thisout. Read it carefully.
First off, I happen to be straight. As in, I have NO lesbian tendencies whatsoever. Just not how I think about women. In my mind, someone's a friend, competition or neutral. If I see a woman in an outfit that flatters her, I think about if I'd look good in it or what would need to change so I could look good in it. The sex thoughts are for men. I may be married but I'm not dead; it's not like I'd cheat on my spouse.
Now, just because I happen to be straight does not mean you can do all the gay bashing you want in front of me and not get a reaction. Let's consider the fact that I work in the entertainment industry, first off. We're known for being an accepting, tolerant crowd. Not to mention it helps to have some good gay actors around since they won't be immature about playing gay characters in a realistic way (unlike some straight actors).
Second, I don't feel anyone's got a right to tell a grown up how to live their own life (least of all, me). If it's not my husband, it's not my business. Now if you were pimping out an underage relative or hurting one of my family members, that's a different story. But your consensual relationship with the same sex partner of your choice is no skin off my nose. I had a store manager at a job who I later found out was gay (not because he said anything but because a supervisor told me). I didn't care: all I was concerned about was that he hired me, thought I was doing a good job & considered me for a promotion (all work related stuff). It didn't even occur to me to ponder that one since it wasn't my business. I wouldn't even care if a family member was gay; that choice doesn't personally affect me. Freedom of choice: you either support it or you don't.
Third, I had a manager yell at me on a sales floor once (this was at my high school job). You know what happened afterward? My supervisor told me to ignore him. I basically got yelled at because he refused to staff enough people in my section & expected me to be Superwoman when I opted not to ambush customers the second they placed a toe into my section. Instead, I chose to clean up the very messy clearance area near the register so I would be visible, could ring up customers quickly and so the section would be tidy. Me wandering around the clothing stacks as the only person working in the section at a busy time of day would have been foolish.
This asshole did make me feel like crying and if my supervisor hadn't talked to me afterward, I'd have probably quit on the spot.
Could you imagine what it must feel like to go to work everyday and be subjected to abuse? I know people who went through it and that was enough to keep me from tolerating it from any employer.
Finally, I don't like seeing others get mistreated. People have done it to me and I'm sure you've experienced it. Rational people tend to have some empathy toward others.
Basic management 101: if you have a problem with an employee, you discuss it in private. I even marveled about my store manager not bothering to speak to me in the office but getting in my face in the middle of the sales floor in front of customers. That was in high school.
Surely this bitch manager would have the common sense not to air dirty laundry in public. After all, doing that just means you're going to have witnesses who may side against you. Now this story has picked up media attention and if Starbucks has any sense, they'll fire this bitch along with her horde of beasts (these people don't deserve the dignity of being called human beings; they are examples of human garbage that do not deserve "mercy" or "second chances"). Here are 2 updates; read that blog for more.
I never went to this Starbucks (or any other really since I'm not a coffee drinker) but if this bitch doesn't get fired and this Jeffrey fellow rehired, I can conclude that whoever is running Starbucks is a total moron who is grossly underestimating public outrage on this.
I know for a fact that any entertainment business that has a brain would NEVER in a million years allow this kind of behavior among its staff. I certainly would not. You'd be out the door before you could blink.
As for the issue of discussing personal matters at work, I have a few things to say about that:
First off, employers are doing it to themselves by making employees work lots of hours (well over 40 per week). They're spending more time at work than with family and friends! Who else are they going to talk to?
Second, having some personal information about your colleagues builds trust. Psychological studies have proven that people disclose personal information in an effort for the other person to reciprocate & so on and so forth. Eventually, you develop rapport and feel the other person is more trustworthy. Part of working in a business means the team has to be able to work together and feel comfortable doing so. Without that, you'll never collaborate on projects or reach out to anyone for fear your ideas get stolen or you're betrayed in some way. Notice that the non-sociable, quiet people are almost never approached for things. If that happens in your workplace & the person isn't exceptional in some way (super smart, an industry vet, etc.), let me know.
Third, if you're going to tell gay people not to discuss their dating lives, then the same goes for straight people. Double for parents (especially women) discussing their children. Some of you like to try converting childfree people into parenthood, especially childfree women. Maybe you don't realize you're doing it but it's irritating and you need to give it a rest. Some of us have chosen NOT to have kids and don't run around bashing you for being parents (I'll give you a pass if you're hassling someone who bashes or calls you nasty names b/c of simply being a parent vs. a mere breeder who NEVER watches their kids). We also don't want to hear about your child's poop. Thankfully, I work in a field where that issue is far less common.
Finally, I don't think it's possible to eliminate all talk of personal lives. If you want that, you'll have to employ robots. Attorneys even know that getting humans to never speak of their personal lives is never going to realistically happen.
Regardless of what this guy may have done, he didn't deserve public castigation in front of customers. I can also tell the people who said "Oh, don't intervene" or who sided with the bitches are either bigots themselves or sheeple who'd have been the perfect little Nazis in Nazi Germany since they'd have NEVER done the right thing. That's what blind obedience to authority gets you.
That or perhaps they're friends with one or more of these bitches. Me personally, they'd have become ex-friends real quick since I'd have told them off. If I'm not going to hang around racists, what makes homophobes any different? You can shove the religious argument up your butt considering religion has been used to justify everything from slavery to modest dress to political corruption. This is no different.
I'll tell you if any of these people dared to work in my industry, I'd alert everyone I know about it and hope they'd get the old Anita Bryant freeze out. It especially hits home if one of our friends (who posted the link I posted here) worked for this bitch & especially if that friend was treated the same way as this gentleman. I just hope Jeffery will get a positive outcome and learn that standing up to BS is a good thing, even if it's not easy or convenient.
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