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Loading ...Lawsuit: Vegan equals gay
01.29.2009 12:20pm EST
(New York City) A Wall Street currency trader is suing his former bosses claiming he was subjected to homophobic slurs after he said he did not eat meat.
Ryan Pacifico worked in the New York office of Calyon in the Americas, a firm owned by Credit Agricole CIB of France.According to Pacifico’s suit, filed in a Manhattan court, he was doing well at the company until he got a new boss.
The discrimination suit names the supervisor, Robert Catalanello, Calyon, and one other employee.
Pacifico claims that after complaining about the slurs he was fired last March.
In papers filed with the court, Pacifico claims that when Catalanello learned the 28-year-old trader did not eat meat, he called him “a vegetarian homo.” The slurs continued when Catalanello saw a photo of Pacifico in running tights.
The court papers say that Pacifico is not gay and married, but that the law protecting workers from homophobia in the workplace extend to heterosexuals.
The company has not commented on the lawsuit.
“They associated being a vegetarian with being gay,” Pacifico’s attorney Rick Ostrove told The Daily News. “It’s a ridiculous male stereotype that only real men eat meat.”
Our culture holds to The Sexual Politics of Meat, which maintains stereotypes about “real men” eating meat. Check out Burger King ads, Hummer ads, or my books, The Sexual Politics of Meat and The Pornography of Meat for a discussion of why our culture is so invested in (straight) men eating meat.
wow, being vegetarian and wearin running tights means your gay? hahaha, whats next? standing in front of the mirror for more than 5 minutes means your gay? lol stereotypes make me laugh… they seem utterly stupid and quite odd…
Sarellec – completely agree with the checklist idea.. good for them
) But: sure it’s not insult to be called gay, it is insult (to all) to use gay designation as an insult.
Also, since I am gay AND vegetarian, I am doubly insulted here
Why hasn’t someone placed the boss in a gay sexual pose with another man? I would get to finding out someone whom can do that.
I really pity straight boys.
Can any gay man imagine how difficult it must be to have this check-list constantly going through your head regarding what you are allowed and not allowed to do to maintain your heterosexuality?
Being gay, I can do, say, be, enjoy, investigate, experiment with, wear anything I wish.
On the other hand, why is being called gay or a homo an insult? I take it as an honorific.
It disturbs me that just being called a homo is supposed to be such an insult and so horrific that it warrants litigation.
“They associated being a vegetarian with being gay,” Pacifico’s attorney Rick Ostrove told The Daily News. “It’s a ridiculous male stereotype that only real men eat meat.”
Awwww…poor thing. Try being gay and being associated with pedophiles and beastiality. Wonder if we should start suing for defamation of character?
Male, female, dark, pale, right handed, left handed, brownish or black or greyish eyes, blue eyes, tall, short, long hair, short hair, macrobiotic, vegan or vegetarian.
It’s all about doing what we feel is the right thing.
If someone fucks with us for being Gay, Vegan, Tall, Asian, Butch or passive etc. Well, it’s all the same struggle.
If we can’t understand that, we have no real hope to move forward.
Very few gay men are vegetarian. We’re too concerned about building up our pecs and biceps to give up a major protein source.
I can’t imagine a gay man turning down meat.
Heck, certainly not in the Bear community.
Beef… It’s what’s for Dinner… Lunch… Breakfast… and All Them Meals In Between!
First of all, why is the title of this story “Lawsuit: VEGAN equals gay”? The guy featured appears to be a vegetarian, not a vegan. It’s irrelevant to the main point of the story, but still there is a big difference between being vegetarian and being vegan.
Regardless, I am a committed vegan and have been for many years. I have met a substantial number of vegetarians and vegans, both in person and online. The majority of the male vegetarians/vegans I know are straight.
At the same time, I am also a gay man and have encountered many other gay men over the years. As a vegesexual (meaning I don’t exchange bodily fluids, including saliva, with men who eat meat – not to be confused with vegAsexuals, who like to have sexual relations with vegetables) I can tell you that the vast majority of gay men I’ve encountered do, in fact, eat meat (I’m sure there’s a sausage joke in here somewhere).
Conclusion? In my experience straight men are more likely to be vegetarian or vegan.
Regardless, it takes a special breed of ignoramus to decide someone is gay based on their dietary habits. I hope that the court accepts that protection from homophobic abuse extends to straight men, that they find in favour of Mr Pacifico (fantastic name) and they award him significant damages (I suppose his boss’ testicles on a plate would be too much to ask – then again, he’s vegetarian so I don’t suppose they’d be much use to him on a plate).
What ignorance – EVERYONE knows GAY men eat MEAT! Now if he was called a lesbian…
Doesn’t the lawyer’s final comment require one to accept the idea that gay men are not “real men?”
Way to be homophobic in defending your client from homophobic slurs.
It’s called work culture. You are just like us, or else we bully you until you leave.
What does a boss care about minor details that are really none of his business such as vegan, straight or gay so long as an employee is courteous, does a good job and turns out the work on time?