You could be forgiven for forgetting infamous sexist James Damore. Damore published a 10 page sexist (and slightly racist) screed against women and minorities at Google, making the claim that perhaps they just weren’t as fit for engineering. As a result, he was fired. You know, for being sexist, but also making an unprofessional and unwelcome working environment for Google’s all too small population of women and non-whites. You really can’t be fired for being a sexist if you do it quietly, you’ve got to really make the effort to make an uncomfortable working environment, but that’s what Damore did.
James Damore sued, joined by David Gudeman, a man who was fired for Islamophobic comments (directed at an individual, no less). His lawsuit is still upcoming. However, he made a complaint to the National Labor Relations Board as well, which he quickly withdrew. Likely because, at the national level, his complaint of not having his political beliefs respected would not earn him protected status. Apparently, part of making America great again involves defining sexism and racism as political beliefs. Political affiliation only protected in California, who’s liberal laws protect people from discrimination based on actual political views.
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled on Damore’s case anyway, which could be damaging for his civil and legal suits against Google.
Basically put, they ruled that he’s an outspoken misogynist, and Google was right to can him.
The NLRB official ruling on Damore didn’t say “angry little woman-hating ass” anywhere, because bureaucrats are always much more wordy in their disses. Instead, they simply stated that Google fired Damore “only for unprotected conduct.” They specifically drew attention to his comments that women are “more prone to ‘neuroticism'” and that men “demonstrate greater variance in IQ than women.” They pointed out that Damore’s language was similar to every other case they see for sexist, homophobic, or racist behavior in the workplace. The NLRB stated that Damore’s screed was “discriminatory and constituted sexual harassment,” even though Damore tried to disguise his intentions with thoroughly debunked hypotheses and minority scientific opinions.
Damore’s lawsuit with David Gudeman is still awaiting trial, but Google’s lawyers will have a new tool in defending their reasoning for firing him: a separate ruling from a federal board. Damore will have to argue that racism, sexism, and Islamophobia are legitimate political beliefs, something the Republican Party has struggled with for decades.
Source: Sam Machkovech, ArsTechnica