Academic

Toledo Administrator Fired over Op-ed on Gay Rights

By Bridget Crawford

The Toledo Blade is reporting that Crystal Dixon, an associate vice president for human resources at the University of Toledo, has been terminated. The firing was motivated by a guest column that Ms. Dixon wrote for the Toledo Free Press about a month ago titled ?Gay Rights and Wrongs: Another Perspective.? Ms. Dixon was responding to an earlier editorial in the paper that included criticism of the University of  Toledo for failing to offer domestic partner benefits to the employees of its medical college.

In her guest column, Ms. Dixon wrote:

?I take great umbrage at the notion that those choosing the homosexual lifestyle are ?civil rights victims.? Here?s why. I cannot wake up tomorrow and not be a Black woman. I am genetically and biologically a Black woman and very pleased to be so as my Creator intended. Daily, thousands of homosexuals make a life decision to leave the gay lifestyle evidenced by the growing population of PFOX (Parents and Friends of Ex Gays) and Exodus International just to name a few.?

She then included data on the median income of lesbians and gay men that appears misleading?without any reference to its source or any explanation of why it was included at all?and addressed the benefits situation at the University of Toledo. She closed with an ominous paragraph (her ?final and most important point?) about how we all have free will, but that we must each deal with the ?consequences for each of our choices, including those who violate God?s divine order.?

To do some obvious damage control, the President of the University of Toledo followed-up with a guest column of his own titled ?UT Protects Gay Rights.? The university then placed Ms. Dixon on leave, and it terminated her last Thursday. The Toledo Blade story contains the following reporting and excerpts from the letter that the university sent to Ms. Dixon informing her of its decision:

?A letter to Ms. Dixon informing her of her termination, stated ?The public position you have taken in the Toledo Free Press is in direct contradiction to university policies and procedures as well as the core values of the strategic plan which is mission critical.??

?It went on to say her position calls into question her ability to continue in her role as an administrator in charge of personnel actions and decisions and that ?the result is a loss of confidence in you as an administrator.??

Ms. Dixon is apparently considering a lawsuit against the university relating to her termination. Certainly, Ms. Dixon is entitled to her opinion, however misinformed it may be. But it would seem that the university, which is a public institution, is equally entitled to have individuals in its personnel department who will uphold its nondiscrimination policies and not publicly undermine its ability to recruit employees?both gay and straight.

-Anthony C. Infanti

Full post as published by Feminist Law Professors on May 13, 2008 (boomark / email).