Do You Think This Is Grounds For Termination?

[The Enforcer]

I work as a uniformed contract guard at a dollar store (will not disclose agency or store) and this Monday, a gay guy walks in with a purse. As he was a 'man' I told him to leave his purse up front until he finishes shopping. He protested my request and ended up leaving. The next day, during a conversation with the cashiers, one of them brought up the incident, saying that what I did was uncalled for. To this I responded- "I don't want any ********s in the store anyway." This is my opinion because I feel that regardless of what people do in bed, it does not justify them to manifestly display their homosexuality. All should behave according to their sex for the society to run in an organized fashion. Plus, that guy had his priorities mixed up; he had a purse, yet at the same time he was wearing a beard (Butch, Fem)?

Here is the problem: The store is undergoing remodeling with several corporate people helping out. Apparently, one of them overheard my comment. I know this because I saw him trying to get ahold of the chain's LP department on his phone. I immediately sensed what it was about and called the Account Manager (my boss). He said that what I did was very serious and if the Area Vice President caught wind of it, I would be gone.

I was very distressed by this. I only have seven months with my agency (the length of my security career) and until I put in at least a year, it would likely diminish my chances of getting hired on to a different one. But thankfully I found out I am off the hook (sort of). I called my boss about my schedule for the upcoming week, being a floater guard, and he said that the guy's phonecall to LP was indeed related to my statement. The only repercussion for me was that I am banned from guarding this particular store (don't know if a permanent ban). All it means is that he will switch me around with somebody else and I will guard a different store(s) on the corresponding days. Of course, the lesson to be learned here is to keep your damn mouth shut about certain things because "the walls have ears."

So what does everybody think? Do I deserve the boot or had justice been done?

[Minneapolis Security]

Of course, the lesson to be learned here is to keep your damn mouth shut about certain things because "the walls have ears."

So what does everybody think? Do I deserve the boot or had justice been done?

I think you need to learn to keep you opinions to yourself. You are just asking for trouble with what you did.

[Curtis Baillie]

Just my opinion here, but if I were the head of LP for the chain - you would not be allowed to work in any of the stores of the chain.

[Security]

Are you kidding me? Has justice been done?! You are a lawsuit waiting to happen! I'm sorry, but if I was your superior, I would have terminated your employment immediately.

Some people, I swear...

[CameraMan]

Wow. Just... wow.

Resume-updating time. Seriously, keep your opinions to yourself at work.

And pray the customer doesn't sue, or worse, go to the media.

[The Enforcer]

Wow. Just... wow.

Resume-updating time. Seriously, keep your opinions to yourself at work.

And pray the customer doesn't sue, or worse, go to the media.

To make it clear, I did not personally call the guy a faggot; all I did was tell him to leave his purse up front. Only women are allowed to carry purses in the store. Otherwise, any bag is to be left up front until the person leaves. I was simply upholding the store policy. My comment was made the following day during a conversation.

[darkenna]

Termination? Perhaps, perhaps not... a lot of which would depend on your company's policies. Does this call for corrective action? Absolutely! It was highly unprofessional.

Think about how discriminatory, and prejudiced, your statement was. No matter what your personal beliefs, do you have the right to force anyone else to conform to your standards? What do you think would happen if a security guard who happened to be Anglican asked a Catholic nun to remove her headdress and leave it at the front desk, whilst muttering something about "damned Papists"? Or a Jewish guard telling an Aryan-looking bald guy that he needed to put on a hat to come in?

For that matter, what if the "purse" was something else--like a medication bag, or a return for his wife? How do you even know he was homosexual? I've met some very effeminate--and very straight--men with wives and families, even babies on the way.

To pre-judge and act upon it, as you did, is not only the height of conceit, but it reflects very badly upon you professionally. You are lucky you were not terminated; that you were not given a written warning or faced with any disciplinary action baffles me.

[Curtis Baillie]

To make it clear, I did not personally call the guy a faggot; all I did was tell him to leave his purse up front. Only women are allowed to carry purses in the store. Otherwise, any bag is to be left up front until the person leaves. I was simply upholding the store policy. My comment was made the following day during a conversation.

I'm aware you don't work for the store or set their policy, but IMO this is not a good policy.

[Tennsix]

I'm aware you don't work for the store or set their policy, but IMO this is not a good policy.

The purse policy is discriminatory. When you put on that uniform, you leave your personal beliefs at home. What if you did not approve of people of a certain ethnicity/race? What if you have said, "I don't want Chinks, Niggers, Wops, etc in the store." Would that be any different?

I agree with the others. You were WAY out of line. We realize you did not voice your opinion until after the incident but your actions spoke volumes about your professional ethics. That type of conduct is a liability to your agency and the store.

[The Enforcer]

The purse policy is discriminatory. When you put on that uniform, you leave your personal beliefs at home. What if you did not approve of people of a certain ethnicity/race? What if you have said, "I don't want Chinks, Niggers, Wops, etc in the store." Would that be any different?

I agree with the others. You were WAY out of line. We realize you dd not voice your opinion until after the incident but your actions spoke volumes about your professional ethics. That type of conduct is a liability to your agency and the store.

The purse policy is not discriminatory but simply a socially acceptable double standard. If it were up to me, I'd make the women leave their purses up front too because it is a big culprit of shrink to the stores I guard. I state on every DAR that any woman entering the store with a big purse will be monitored very closely by me. The less people walking around the store with any type of bag, the more peace of mind for me.

And being gay is different from what race you are. I never, ever discriminate on the basis of race, color, or creed. People accuse me of racism all the time, by the way, when I monitor them, being a white guard in all-black neighborhoods. Truthfully, I am more suspicious of white people like me in the stores, as they are not typical of the neighborhood.

[publicsafetyred]

"So what does everybody think? Do I deserve the boot or had justice been done?"

If you worked for me, you would be fired.

[copelandamuffy]

Just my opinion here, but if I were the head of LP for the chain - you would not be allowed to work in any of the stores of the chain.

. Amen !!!

[ScottFree]

The problem here is simply being (justifiably) annoyed at what happened, the op will not learn a valuable lesson by telling him that he (doubly justifiably) should be fired.

Mr Enforcer, you say you dont discriminate, but your comment shows not only that you do, you choose to do it in an extremely poor place.

All of us have our feelings about certain issues that may or may not conform to what is "acceptable" but those of us who have learned about professionalism know that any display of feelings is not only unprofessional, the higher end the setting it is, the more it becomes not only unacceptable to the client, but those around view you in a negative light.

Now i realize that "what people think of you" may be something you dont care about, but in a professional setting how you are percieved can make you as effective in your job as your skills.

In the end i think you should consider more about how your actions reflect on you and your employer than about what you did. While i dont agree with the way you think, this is america and you have a right to feel that way. You even have the right to say what you said.

What you dont understand that you are very lucky that you arent being sued for something that is clearly a civil rights violation that could have a costly impact on you as well as your employer.

As a security officer you need to learn to have a thick skin, as a security supervisor you need to have very thick skin. As a security manager you better have some REAL thick armor plating or you wont survive the opening volley.

[CameraMan]

Bottom line, you can say and think and feel whatever you like, after work. You cannot say whatever you like at work.

[Tennsix]

The purse policy is not discriminatory but simply a socially acceptable double standard. If it were up to me, I'd make the women leave their purses up front too because it is a big culprit of shrink to the stores I guard. I state on every DAR that any woman entering the store with a big purse will be monitored very closely by me. The less people walking around the store with any type of bag, the more peace of mind for me.

And being gay is different from what race you are. I never, ever discriminate on the basis of race, color, or creed. People accuse me of racism all the time, by the way, when I monitor them, being a white guard in all-black neighborhoods. Truthfully, I am more suspicious of white people like me in the stores, as they are not typical of the neighborhood.

Yes, the policy is discriminatory. Either everyone may carry a bag or no one does. And yes, this scenario is analogous to a racially biased situation.