A high school prom is canceled after a lesbian asked if was okay to bring her girlfriend. A simple answer would have sufficed there, don’t you think?
And we all know that peanut butter is not allowed in schools because one of the kids might have an allergy to peanuts.
Now Detroit city employees can’t wear cologne. Or much of anything else.
Susan McBride, a civil servant in Detroit, won a $100,000 settlement from the city after officials failed to accommodate her allergy to perfume. McBride complained to superiors about a coworker’s perfume, claiming the smell made it difficult for her to breath. When managers did nothing to address the situation, McBride sued under the Americans with Disabilities Act and won.
In addition to paying the hundred grand, the city, as part of the settlement, will post signs asking employees to refrain from wearing “scented products, including but not limited to colognes, after-shave lotions, perfumes, deodorants, body/face lotions, hair sprays or similar products.”
The complaint chain should have been: coworker, unit manager, their manager, upper management. I don’t know exactly what happened, but it’s really sad if Susan did go through all the steps and it didn’t work. I can’t imagine being that coworker and saying ‘No, I think I’ll keep on bathing in cologne that makes you sick’. Or management, who apparently couldn’t step up and work out a simple solution.
Who’s to blame for this ruination, Susan or Management? I vote for Coworker/Management.
This is the most ridiculous thing ever.
I am just speechless.
I think I’ll go sue the USPS because the mailman’s truck is really loud and it makes my dog bark which wakes my daughter up from her nap.
There ya go!
So if they can’t wear deodorant don’t you think they will be having another problem with people smelling soon?
Priceless…!
You got that right QW!
Regarding the prom being cancelled it was two fold. The girl wanted to bring her girlfriend as her date (who cares) after the school announced the “rules of conduct” including that a date consisted of members of the opposite sex (setting themselves up, don’t you think?) AND she wanted to wear a tuxedo as her ‘prom attire’, which (again) was addressed in the “rules of conduct” and stated that proper dress would be required of attendees.
So she asked the Principal for permission for what she wanted to do. They said no, because it went against the rules of conduct that had been provided to everyone. So she decided that her rights were being violated, got the ACLU involved (won’t even start there) and they threatened to sue the school and the school board for discrimination of this girls RIGHT to wear a tuxedo to her prom and bring her girlfriend as her date. So the school did the only thing they could do – rather than bow to oppressive bullying tactics, they cancelled the whole thing. And stated that they hoped a group of parents or private citizens would put something together for the kids to give them a prom. Meaning, Mom and Dad can foot the bill and be responsible for who does or doesn’t go and how it’s pulled off and what they wear.
I can’t begin to tell you how mad that makes me. You know, we have a number of homosexual friends. But I would not expect them to make provisions for me at one of their events. Just like I don’t make special provisions for them at ours. Your a person, a human being. Just move on. The girls could have quietly gone. The girl could have worn a pantsuit and looked lovely I’m sure. There are lots of options she could have gone with. Instead, I’m sure she’s the belle of her school for the crapstorm she stirred up.
Thanks for the update! The whole thing’s bullshit. Like you said, the girls could have gone quietly instead of making a federal case of it… So everyone suffered.
The tyranny of the minority… get used to it.
…that’s what my husband says…
Who’s at fault? Lawyers and our litigious society where people think they’re entitled to obscene amounts of compensation just because they can’t get their way or accept “no” for an answer. That whole mentality has all but hamstrung society and businesses due to the fear of lawsuits. I wish more would stand up to this form of blackmail.
I’m all for tort reform but the attorneys are simply acting on the wishes of the client.
Personal responsibility and courtesy seem to be dying out…
Oh, and it isn’t too hard to figure out why the city of Detroit is considered the butthole of America and hopelessly dysfunctional by their handling of such matters. I would be ashamed to identified as a Detroit city worker. ‘Nuff said.
RE: Sally the Cologne Lady, an employer only needs to make, “reasonable,” accommodations. Asking every other employee to refrain from personal hygiene is stupid and beyond what they are required to do.
Thanks for clarifying, Folly! Frankly, it sounds absurd.
How about personal responsibility??? Wear deodorant that doesn’t make you smell like a French whore, and just a tiny bit of cologne? Sorry, I have a sensitive nose and am constantly fighting the urge to smack people over the head for bathing in the shit. It would be impossible for me to work in a confined space with someone like that as well.
I’ve worked in offices with women who seem to have an obsession for smelling just as ‘loud’ as they can. It’s nauseating.
That’s why I thought the first step would have been a talk with the coworker.
I’m with you Pam. Scents can be a migraine trigger for me (along with allergies, mold, dust, foods, etc.). But I don’t make the world bend to MY needs. I bend with the world. I take precautions (like a little Zyrtec a day). If somone’s cologne or perfume is so much that I can smell it (which is a few and far between) I wait to see if its going to be a problem. 99.9% of the time, within 30 minutes I don’t notice it anymore and I continue on with my day. If it becomes a problem, I’ve spoken to the person and said, “Your cologne smells very nice. However it seems a bit more than usual today, would you mind tomorrow toning it down just a little? Thanks so much.” And if that doesn’t work, then I would get HR or Management involved to intervene. It’s never gone beyond a polite and discreet request to tone it down.
And I agree, the “PC” and ambulance chasing has gone too far and it’s got to be stopped, now. There’s a difference between courtesy and entitlement. Just because you are ‘here’ does not make you entitled to anything more than you’ve earned. Plain and simple.
Exactly. I’ve found that if someone discovers that their cologne is making someone sick, they’ll change for office use or at least tone it down. No sane, thinking person wants to make someone else sick.
I don’t understand the french whore way of wearing scent, anyway. It’s supposed to be personal.
My mom worked in a law office for 37 years, and was well known for always speaking her mind. She put up a sign that said,
If someone came in bathed in the stuff, she’d point at the sign and say, “Please leave NOW!” It worked perfectly.
As for the prom – I think the school went overboard in defining their conduct/dress code, pretty much inviting the ACLU to nail them. We had a girl show up “stag” to prom wearing a tuxedo (after being stood-up, if I remember) – she wasn’t a lesbian, but she was adorable in her tuxedo and a big hit at the dance. Was anyone offended? Hell no. Do I think the school did the right thing canceling the prom to avoid the fight? Probably. Stupid, though – could have been avoided by not pushing inviting the issue in the first place.
I love your Mom’s directness. That way there’s just no wiggle room for error! LOL!
We had girls coming to prom in jeans [gasp] and cowboy boots. People may have whispered to each other or shook their heads but nobody had a damned fit and everyone else got to have fun.
My niece attended her prom in a Tux she made from duct tape…
Yes! Whatever happened to free expression??
The ACLU confused it with a right and one that trounces anyone and everyone elses.
:worship: