How can someone as far removed from reality as Joe Fischer be expected to responsibly hold public office? From the Community Recorder:

Fischer said Kentucky law should not protecting a person's sexual orientation from employment discrimination.

"It's OK to fire someone if they're gay," Fischer said. "I favor the current laws as they stand now. Sexual orientation shouldn't be a protected class. The classes protected now; race, gender and religion, are protected because they can't be changed. Obviously, people can change their sexual orientation, some psychologists have said so."

Fischer, who also works as a corporate attorney, said homosexuals haven't been the target of discrimination.

"Historically, homosexuals haven't been discriminated against like women and blacks. They haven't suffered."

Can we fire legislators who are so clearly misinformed and hateful? People can change their sexual orientation? The American Psychological Association clearly endorses the conclusion that sexual orientation is not a choice. And even if it was a choice, should someone be fired because of their sexual orientation? How about party affiliation? How about religious beliefs? And then there's the ridiculous statement that gays have not suffered workplace discrimination. One doesn't have to look far (a history book? a newspaper?) to see how homophobic America has been and continues to be and how those attitudes take a toll in the workplace.

Linda Klembara's response is also reported.

"I'm an Episcopalian and very religious," Klembara said. "My religious faith would never allow me to condone prejudice against any group of people. My belief is, when the Lord told us to love one another, he meant it. I wouldn't want anyone fired because they were gay."

A noticeable difference in tone and tolerance. I would add only that one doesn't need to be religious to see there something hateful and morally wrong with Fischer's position. In fact, it's Fischer's misdirected religious commitments that he uses to support his blantant bigotry and hateful political agenda. Hello American Taliban. Using religion to make moral points is obviously not working. But that's politics.

UPDATE: "...race, gender and religion, are protected because they can't be changed"?? One can change gender with the right effort, but surely one's religion is not a permanent condition. What could Fischer be thinking here?

And "Obviously, people can change their sexual orientation, some psychologists have said so." How about "Obviously, people cannot change their sexual orientation, some psychologists have said so." Psychologists say lots of things; we should have independent reason to trust their veracity beyond the fact that they confirm what we want to believe. (See the APA link above.) With logic like this, would you want Fischer for your lawyer, or representative, or even neighbor?

Hat tip to BluegrassReport.org

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