 Crystal Dixon |
A legal advocacy group pursuing a complaint against the University of Toledo for firing a woman because of her statement of Christian beliefs about homosexuality says the school’s response reveals a “double standard” in the way it treats people.
The free speech case is being brought by the Thomas More Law Center, a not-for-profit group dedicated to defense and promotion of religious freedom, on behalf of Crystal Dixon, who was removed from her executive post at the school after she wrote an opinion piece in a local newspaper.
The lawsuit alleges the school violated the First Amendment, but Toledo Vice President Larry Burns released a statement contending the case was about Dixon’s “ability,” not her speech.
“We have asserted from the beginning that Ms. Dixon was in a position of special sensitivity as associate vice president for human resources, and this issue is not about freedom of speech, but about her ability to perform that job given her statements in the Toledo Free Press,” Burns said.
“We are convinced of the correctness of our position, and we will present the facts that support our position in a court of law,” he said.
Dixon wrote in a guest column April 18 that “gay” rights cannot be compared to civil rights, because homosexuality is a choice. Her comments came in response to the newspaper’s editor, who lobbied for more “gay” rights in Ohio.
The school, however, is operating under “a despicable double standard,” said the Thomas More Law Center’s president, Richard Thompson.
Dixon’s previous job performance, covering six years in the establishment’s human resources division, always was outstanding, Thompson pointed out.
“Her last job evaluation was excellent. In July 2007, Dixon was promoted to Interim Associate VP for Human Resources over all UT campuses,” the legal group said. “One month before she was fired, she was made permanent Associate VP for Human Resources (no longer interim).”
All of that, however, changed “once she publicly expressed her private views on homosexuality based upon her Christian faith.”
The Thomas More Center said only a few months before Dixon was fired, the university’s vice provost, Carol Bresnahan, “publicly attacked Christians who opposed domestic partnership laws, without being fired.”
“The University of Toledo has displayed a double standard that trashes the right to free speech. UT’s president encourages those who support the radical homosexual agenda to speak out, but punishes Christians who oppose the agenda,” Thompson said.
While Dixon did not identify herself as a university employee, Bresnahan did. One year ago this month, she wrote in the Toledo Blade attacking opponents of a domestic partnership registry, calling them bigots.
“It’s their religious beliefs, and bigotry in the name of religion is still bigotry,” she wrote.
“Bresnahan, an admitted lesbian, was in effect attacking Toledo Catholic Bishop Leonard Blair, who publicly expressed disappointment on behalf of many people in Toledo regarding the registry law enacted by the Toledo City Council,” the Thomas More Center said.
Dixon, writing as a private individual about her beliefs, said, “As a Black woman … I take great umbrage at the notion that those choosing the homosexual lifestyle are ‘civil rights victims.’ Here’s why. I cannot wake up tomorrow and not be a Black woman. I am genetically and biologically a Black woman and very pleased to be so as my Creator intended.”
Her statements resulted in her dismissal.
The law center said further proof of the double standard came from UT officials during “Celebrate Diversity Week.”
The president said, “If you have something to say, speak out and speak up. Speak up and never let it be said that people can’t hear you. You are important to this university. You are important to me, I care about you.”
“Apparently,” the law center said, “he did not mean Christians who oppose the homosexual agenda.”
Dixon’s lawsuit alleges she has “a constitutional right to privately express her personal opinions,” Thompson said.
“This particular opinion represents the view of a majority of Christian Americans,” Thompson continued. “Essentially she was fired for being a Christian.”
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