Fired in Maine for being gay

[PageOneQ]

Full column here

Friends,

As Main prepares to vote on whether to retain of nix gay and lesbian civil rights protections, I've posted a very personal column by author and speaker Wayne Besen.

Wayne has his own personal experience with discrimination in Maine:

In a small town, gossip spreads quickly. By the time I arrived at work the following week, the secret was out. Not a word was said, but it was clear by the way people gawked, like I was an alien who had just landed from Mars. For the next several weeks, my boss would avert his gaze when he spoke to me. He became critical of the same quality work he had praised before I had been outed.

Eventually, I was called into my boss's office and summarily fired. I asked why and his response is seared in to my memory like a cattle brand: "You're not right for Maine," he icily replied.

For the complete column, click Full column here.

www.pageoneq.com/news/2005/abs/besen_102305.html