As the Chronicle reported on Friday, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a federal suit against Walgreens on Thursday for firing a diabetic South San Francisco cashier, Josefina Hernandez. Hernandez had quickly downed a bag of chips while working her shift back in September of 2008 in order to boost her blood sugar level, preventing an oncoming hypoglycemic attack. more ›

According to the Associated Press, a San Jose Panda Express is in a world of trouble after allegedly discriminating against Latino employees. "Federal officials are suing a San Jose Panda Express, accusing the restaurant of making Latino workers clean toilets and perform other menial work while Asian employees stood around and watched." The suit also claims that the manager "disciplined Latino employees more harshly and more frequently than their Asian counterparts." more ›

In San Mateo, where suburban shopping mall culture still reigns, a local Muslim woman is suing her former employers at Abercrombie & Fitch after she was fired for refusing to remove her headscarf while working at a Hollister Co. in the Hillsdale Mall. Hollister, the beach bum kid brother to Abercrombie & Fitch's frat boy supply store, has a "beachy" dress code which requires regrettable work attire like flip-flops and cargo shorts for exmployees. Although management at the Hillsdale location had originally told 20-year-old Hani Khan that a hajib in company colors would be perfectly acceptable, she was later told to by corporate officials to stop wearing it shortly after her store received a visit from a district manager. more ›

The Ninth Circuit just announced that on December 6 it will hear the appeal of Judge Walker's ruling that overturned Prop 8, California anti-civil rights amendment barring same-sex marriage. The arguments will start at 10 a.m. In the meantime, here is a map of people in San Francisco who donated to the anti-gay proposition. more ›

Abercrombie & Fitch's unyielding adherence to one kind of beauty has, once again, gotten them in trouble. A Mulsim woman accuses the clothing retailer of not hiring due to her head scarf. Mercury News reports, "Federal civil rights lawyers today sued clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch on behalf of an 18-year-old Muslim woman who alleges the company's store at the Great Mall in Milpitas refused to hire her for wearing a religious head scarf, the second time the national chain has been hit with a similar discrimination lawsuit." more ›

A former SFPD cop is claiming anti-straight discrimination at the Mission police station, and now she's taking action. Mission Local reports that openly heterosexual Lori Dutra, a former patrol officer, "alleges she suffered reverse discrimination at the Mission District Police Station at the hands of Sergeant Marta McDowell, retired Sergeant Kimberly Reynolds, Sergeant Lynn Reilly, and retired Sergeant Carri Lucas-all but the latter identify as lesbians." The 33-year-old penis fan went on to claim that "non-lesbian women were treated differently" at the station. Dutra has filed suit against San Francisco for "allowing the discrimination to take place." [via Mission Local] more ›

Protesters gathered at Pier 33 yesterday to draw attention to the firing of longtime Alcatraz Cruises employee Vincent Atos, who was suspended last year over a sexual harassment complaint for being "too gay." Atos was, at the time, trying to organize a union for cruise workers and suspects this had something to do with his punishment. more ›

Do not upset redheads. Because they know how to hold a grudge, stab you in the back when you least expect it, and pour a cocktail in your unattended purse. Take note of this, British retailer Tesco. more ›

Unless you're a godless whore who uses contempt for a group of people to make a cheap buck, most young people are in support of gay marriage. Which means, after most of the bigots finally -- finally! -- die off, marriage equality stands a chance. more ›

A dimwitted justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, recently denied an interracial couple a marriage license. Why? Like we need to tell you why. But we will: said justice of peace, Keith Bardwell, explained to Associated Press his reasoning, "'I'm not a racist. I just don't believe in mixing the races that way ... I have piles and piles of black friends. They come to my home, I marry them, they use my bathroom. I treat them just like everyone else." more ›

Lackluster, middling dancehall performer Buju Banto, crooner of such complex songs as "Kill Gays" (AKA "Boom Bye Bye") has plans to play at the Richmond district's Rockit Room tonight. Oh, and he hates homosexuals and thinks that they should be murdered -- much like a lot of people do, even right here in the Bay Area. Anyway, he might or might not perform his notoriously assy tunes tonight, according to SFAppeal. more ›

Without giving any specifics,,President Barack Obama pledged to end the U.S. military's dated and bizarre ban on openly queer homosexuals serving in the military. During a speech at the annual Human Rights Campaign dinner on Saturday, Obama said, "I will end 'don't ask-don't tell." more ›

Don't let the Obama's defense of DOMA get you down this Pride season. City Attorney Dennis Herrera just filed a brief in federal court yesterday stating the obvious: Proposition 8 has no constitutionally legitimate purpose. Which is to say, SF has demanded a federal judge to overturn California's unfortunate ban on gay marriage. This latest war tactic against bigotry and slack-jawed mentality "uses a different tactic and argues that Proposition 8 violated the federal constitutional guarantees of due process and equal treatment," according to SFGate. In other Prop 8 news, a census study of gay married couples found striking similarities to husband-and-wife couples. (Pluming fixtures aside, of course.) Also, the number of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people killed in because of their sexuality are at their highest since 1999. For comprehensive coverage on civil marriage equality in California and elsewhere, please visit Stop8.org. more ›

As anticipated, the California State Supreme Court ruled to uphold prop 8, the same-sex marriage ban. That means that gay marriage in the state of California is still considered illegal, effectively stripping away civil rights of many GLBT Californians. The State Supreme court ruled that prop 8 is legal in a 6-1 ruling with justice Marino being the sole holdout. more ›

At 10 a.m. this morning, the state supreme court will announce its ruling whether to overturn or uphold prop 8, the gay marriage banned that passed last November. The constitutional amendment barely approved by voters, if you recall, "overruled the court's 4-3 ruling from a year ago that briefly legalized same-sex unions." more ›

Anti-gay rights advocate Miss California Carrie Prejean gets to keep her meaningless crown, said Donald Trump. After pageant officials sort of said they would let her keep her head bauble yesterday, even though it wasn't really their decision to make, Trump gave his final seal of approval, saying that the half-nude photos of Prejean, which were taken when she was a teen, were fine. Because she wasn't fat or old. And that he couldn't buy this kind of publicity. Also, regarding Prejean's famous anti-gay tirade masquerading as a sentiment of free speech, Trump said, "She gave a very, very honest answer at the pageant ... It's the same answer the President of the United States gave." Oh, snap! Anyway, case closed on the everyone's favorite lying whore. more ›

Sleep easy, defenders of free speech and a vengeful God. Pro-discrimination Miss California, the lying whore who famously told the audience at the Miss USA pageant that same-sex marriage was icky and wrong, will get to keep her crown. See, after Carrie Prejean became a spokeswoman for anti-gay bigotry, a spokeswoman who also failed to disclose that she had posed nude for cash when she was a teen, many thought the 21-year-old San Diego native should be dethroned. However, while the "USA pageant strongly criticized some of the actions of title-holder Carrie Prejean," pageant officials said it's "not their decision whether she should be stripped of her crown." Only Donald Trump, who owns the rights to the annual Boring Sluts of America competition -- remember, folks, this wasn't the Miss America pageant, which is typically thought of as a klassy glass of Chardonnay compared to the 3 a.m. bodyshot that is the Miss USA pageant -- can make that decision. more ›

Take note, California: the Governor of New York introducing legislation to legalize same-sex marriage. "There is clearly a problem in that those individuals who are gay or lesbian who would live in a civil union are still not entitled to somewhere between 1,250 and 1,300 civil protections" that are afforded to married couples, Paterson said yesterday. more ›

California is one step closer to getting Prop 8, the same-sex marriage ban that passed in November, overturned. Hopefully. A judiciary committee passed House Resolution 5 today (care of one Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco), which states that "a revision is a substantial change to the underlying principles of the California Constitution, or to the structure of California's basic governmental plan." more ›

Ever since Prop 8 donor names were revealed, those who donated to allow discrimination in the California state constitution have feared retaliation from angry citizens. Problem is, we have yet hear one example of vengeance. Yesterday, East Bay Express claimed that the Prop 8 map "fuels harassment," but can't cite any examples. Has there been one single case of the maps fueling harassment? Following the news pretty closely, we have haven't heard of a single incident (except for a stern comment here and there on the Internet). It appears that they've just fallen for some "common knowledge" without actually checking the facts. (Just like bloggers do!) Until someone steps forward with an harrowing tale of harassment, be sure to check out the Prop 8. donor map. more ›

Briefly touched upon last week when the final batch of Prop 8 donor names unfurled, Utah citizens and the LDS Church spent more on getting Prop. 8 passed than previously known. According to the Salt Lake Tribune: more ›

Oh this Prop 8 stuff just gets hairier and hairier. We were thumbing through some articles about the people who backed Prop 8; that includes groups like the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which despite the word "liberty" in their name wants to wield control over California marriages -- every single one -- vetoing whichever couples they don't like. They plan to use Prop 8 to continue stopping marriages and to nullify the approximately 18,000 that they don't currently like -- and possibly more in the future. And the Amicus Brief that they filed in Prop 8's favor contained this scintillating quote: more ›

Stepping back in time 20 years, a court ruled in favor of California Lutheran High School in Riverside County after two female students were expelled for having "a bond of intimacy ... characteristic of a lesbian relationship." According to reports, the girls sued the school claiming they had violated some sort of state anti-discrimination law. But not so, said a three-judge panel of the 4th District Court of Appeal. The private religious institution was deemed "not a business," so they were above the state law that prohibits businesses from discriminating based on sexual orientation. Which, as a private entity, they are. Alas. more ›