A Lesson in Hire Education

So far, the best argument for protecting marriage may be sitting in the President's office of Gallaudet University. There, voters got a unique view of the real-life persecution that awaits anyone who opposes same-sex "marriage." Last week, when Gallaudet's Dr. Angela McCaskill was outed for signing a petition in favor of a public vote on marriage, she was exiled from the University she called home for 23 years. Now, instead of sitting in her office helping students, she's meeting with attorneys, trying to come to grips with President Alan Hurwitz's decision to banish her from campus. Calling McCaskill's actions "inappropriate," Hurwitz is putting a face on the intolerance that FRC and other marriage advocates have warned about for years.

By all reports, his ruthlessness is already taking its toll. According to her pastor, Rev. Dr. Lee Washington, Dr. McCaskill and her family have been the targets of threats and intimidation ever since the story broke. "As her church family, we stand firmly by her side and welcome all persons of good faith regardless of their ideological views to denounce these actions of cowardice and bullying." Even the Washington Post warns that Gallaudet's overreaction could seriously "undermine" the effort to redefine marriage. "The surest way to repel voters--and to vitiate the marriage movement's broader goals and values--would be to say, or even seem to say, 'Agree with us or else.'"

Unfortunately, that's always been the underlying, totalitarian message of the homosexual movement. The only difference here is that Maryland voters have been warned: public dissent will not be tolerated. Not surprisingly, liberals are racing to cover up Gallaudet's mess, insisting that they believe in free speech as much as the next guy. Tell that to the wedding cake bakers, the T-shirt makers, the bed and breakfast owners, the military chaplains, the high school teachers, the restaurant owners, the photographers, the churches, the Massachusetts parents, and others who were fired, sued, harassed, fined, and suspended. Like Angela, their biggest crime was having an opinion contrary to the radical Left--something one former FRCer knows a lot about.

When Teresa Wagner left Family Research Council, she had plenty of offers to join university faculties and teach law. A graduate of the University of Iowa, Wagner joined the staff as a part-time associate director of its legal writing program. She also applied to be a full-time teacher at the law school, but her application was mysterious denied. It wasn't for lack of experience, since Teresa was the most qualified candidate. Nor was it for lack of legal expertise, since the person offered the position "had never practiced law, had no legal publications, and had no prior successful teaching experience." It was because of her work in the pro-family movement.

Teresa will try to prove as much in federal court, where her appeal kicks off today. Although people have sued for discrimination in hiring decisions, experts say Teresa's case is the first of its kind. Unlike other plaintiffs, she has evidence. Like Dr. McCaskill, Teresa Wagner belongs at the University. Until then, both women are giving students a serious education in political bias. For more on Dr. McCaskill's case, stay tuned for her press conference tomorrow. If you haven't signed FRC's petition, join the more than 50,000 who have called for her reinstatement.