In what is a bit of a reversal from the typical discrimination case, 32-year old Jamie Ardigo claims that his former employer at J. Christopher Capital, J. Christopher Burch, boasted about only hiring gay men because he trusted them more than their straight counterparts. Oh, he also hired hot girls because they are, well, hot.
ABC News elaborates:
[Ardigo says he] was seated in a meeting where Burch announced the fact that he hired only gay men because they were productive, and because he trusted them. Burch said the same thing, Ardigo asserts, on other occasions: "I witnessed it in meetings with the executive management team, where he'd blatantly state the fact that he only likes to hire gay men and beautiful women."
Ardigo found this troubling on two levels, he says: As a gay man, he personally was offended. And as an HR professional "keenly aware" of the need to maintain a non-discriminatory atmosphere in the workplace, he knew that both the attitude expressed and any hiring that bore it out was contrary to federal and New York City law.
"I was highly concerned for the organization and uncomfortable myself working there," he says. "I had never worked for an organization that made decisions based on that or that made comments like that."
Ardigo claims he was fired after complaining about various incidents, including one in which a straight female employee made it know that she had a working vibrator in her purse. Burch, naturally, denies the allegations.
