This is NOM’s latest episode of “Grown Adults Bitching and Moaning,” and it features a man named Damian Goddard, who used to be a sportscaster in Canada, where marriage equality has been the law of the land for a while now. Apparently this never turned him into one of Maggie’s Super Victims, but then something happened on Twitter related to New York marriage equality and he shot his mouth off and, as a public figure, presumably embarrassed the hell out of his organization. So he got fired.
When he starts crying about how awesome his wife has been through all of this, the first thought that entered my head was, “huh, yeah, I wonder if same sex married couples ever go through life experiences where one is the rock for the other through hard times. I wonder, I wonder, I wonder!”
Play the tiny violin for dude, please.
[h/t Joe]
I just puked in my mouth watching this jerk.
A flick switched on!!
Okay, who’s going to break it to him that his wife is a lesbian?
Personally, I don’t understand why he was fired. Seems like an overreaction on the part of management. He tweeted his support of another sharing the same position. Seems to me that management could have quietly told him to, at least, keep it low level just to avoid any possible blowback that might affect his position on the air. If he had tweeted his support for marriage equality, we’d be all over the station for denying him his right to support us and firing him for it. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander, folks. I don’t believe he deserved losing his job over this.
@Gianni-
I agree with you. I consider this different than the teacher in NJ because her speech crossed a line. I don’t see this guy’s crossing a line. I think he was entitled to his opinion as wrong as he is.
While I can’t agree with the guy and really hate the message he chose to tweet, I also would agree that firing him was an overreaction. A suspension, definately a public apology, yes. But his personal twitter, as a matter of fredom of speech, should not give cause for him losing his job. I mean, sure, the guy’s a wanker, but if his twitter doesn’t represent his employer, then they should be lenient, if not passive.
Folks, you are missing the core question.
Should he have been fired if he tweeted, “I believe in one white woman one white man marriage only?”
If your answer is yes, then it was appropriate to can this jerk for his comments on marriage equality for same-sex couples. Fair is fair and there should be no “gay exception” the general rules of civilization. I’m beyond fed up with people who try to carve out LGBT exceptions to everything. Nonsense. We are worthy and demand equality.
If your answer is that he should not have been fired in either case, then what you are saying is that public figures can say whatever they want in their private time, even if it harms the reputation of the company.
Think about it…
I believe Canada has some fairly strict laws pertaining to hate speech which we don’t have here. Whatever he said must have crossed the line.
There seems to be more to the story than just his tweet:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2011/06/23/damian-goddard-sportsnet-human-rights-same-sex_n_883589.html?just_reloaded=1
Wrong is wrong, pure and simple…ESPECIALLY when it comes to marginalizing someone else’s existence. Whatever the backlash, the man needed to be called on his ignorance, and invoking God to validate it. As I’ve said many, many times before, sure, the guy has a right to say what he likes; and I have the right to call him a jackass, publicly, and incessantly.
Wayne@#7 – That’s exactly how I see it. Some LGBTs want to say its okay for an anti-gay to be a bigot yet they’d never accept the same sort of behavior from a racist.
Damian Goddard has taken the job as a spokesperson for NOM.
Twitter: November 16th
Hey all. Here’s that BIG news. I’ve taken on a role of spokesperson with NOM off-shoot MarriageADA. http://marriageada.org/ be.not.afraid.
Gary,yes indeed. What he said violated Canada’s charter of rights. NOM must be rather desperate to solicit the help of a Canadian to promote it’s propaganda and rein in more donations of course. This is what it’s really about, the money. This idiot blamed same-sex marriage in New York for losing his job….pathetic, but typical NOM strategy, all smoke and mirrors to elicit donations to keep it going. NOM knows it’s losing the cultural war on marriage equality, hence its heightened campaigns that seem more desperate than ever.
Franco Harris, former Pittsburgh Steeler known for the Immaculate Reception, recently spoke words of support for the disgraced Joe Paterno. Harris lost his job as a spokesman for a local racetrack. As Wayne said if it harms the reputation of the company they have every right to get rid of you.
I don’t see that his personal belief harmed the company’s reputation at all. IF, as stated in a previous answer, there was something in his contract that would forbid statements like he made, then I could see the employer reaction. And I don’t see how expressing a belief that marriage should be only between a white man and a white woman is cause for dismissal. His employer could certainly caution him about such statements reflecting on the company, but an outright firing? No – only if he continued against his employer’s caution and concerns. His position in society is not that high up to warrant being fired as a first response. Hell, we have elected officials that say pretty much the same things, don’t they? And they represent the electorate!
If Canadian Law prohibits persons in such positions from speaking so, then he would face that issue. Gives me the shivers, though. Where is the freedom to speak your own mind? We aren’t talking about personal attacks or harassment here. It’s just his personal belief.