Woman "Attacked"/denied Job because of Christianity (?)

[salex]

I am always amazed when I read stuff like this. I studied business ages ago, but learned then the benefit of concise but generic rejection letters.

"Thank you for your application. After careful consideration of all candidates, this letter is to let you know that you have not been selected for the position.

We appreciate your interest in ABC Corp.

Sincerely,

Suszee

She would not have been able to sue over this, and if she had tried to start something, any halfway intelligent HR person would have ignored her.

[NoneandDoneinCali]

There are plenty of women who can do 8 pull-ups. It says there is no time limit.

It's for an extreme tour guide, yeah? I know nothing about that industry. But I'd imagine that this company, which specializes in it, would know what specific skill set is relevant. So let's not pretend we know what the most important physical requirements should be. Swimming skills won't get you far in the rapids. I'd think endurance and upper body strength (to pull yourself up on a rock or out of the current) might be more important.

This is also not a native English speaking country. Norway has a different business culture and are extremely socially liberal. I'm not Norwegian, so perhaps one of the Scandinavian posters on here can clarify that.

Frankly, I think the response was quite rude. Honestly, I would probably not give equal consideration to an applicant with a degree from an incredibly conservative Christian college with a purity pledge and anti-LGBT mission statement either. However, I wouldn't bait or antagonize them. I would merely find a reason (ANY reason) they weren't qualified, wish them well, and find someone who was a better fit in my hypothetical company. I doubt a very conservative Christian would be particularly happy working in the type of company I would (again, hypothetically) have either. What if that person decided to proselytize to your guests when they're 20 miles out from civilization? Think about how that would reflect on your organization.

However, this guy should have stuffed a sock in it. He may well face legal ramifications for being so outspoken and should have just said "we're going with a more qualified candidate" and moved on. There's no need to insult people.

ETA: I don't want to imply that it's okay to discriminate against Christians. It's not. My point is that a recent graduate from a very conservative school (I'm not even talking Notre Dame or Pepperdine) would probably not be a good fit at a company with openly gay employees/a very secular and inclusive mission statement. This guy should have gone about it differently.

[nelliebelle1197]

Is this directed at me?

First, are you saying that my comment that demonstrating strength may be a requirement for a job is sexist? I'm not sure how that's the case. I've worked many jobs that require lifting 25 or 50 pounds and also have worked as a lifeguard which requires certain athletic tasks to be accomplished.

Second, I'm not sure when facts became sexist. The fact of the matter is that typically speaking, most women can't perform eight pull-ups (jerkit probably can because she's awesome). Most men probably can't either, but there is definitely a smaller percentage of women who can. The requirement of eight seems over-the-top when even the US Marines only require three. Now, there are many reasons for this, and I really like this article that posits it's not inherent biology as much as social/athletic conditioning: huffingtonpost.com/caitlin-constantine/womens-difficulty-with-pu_b_4569911.html

But I hardly think the response to the fact that women are socially conditioned to not focus on upper body strength is to say, "Suck it, women! If you want equality, get over social conditioning yourself and pump your lats!" Rather, I think a better response would be to keep the physical requirements more in line with things that men and women tend to perform more equally on but still demonstrate the needed strength. Push-ups, swimming, and running all seem great to me. The pull-up requirement is way more extreme than any of the others.

Note: When I'm in shape, I can swim a 500 in 9 minutes 10 minutes, now that I noticed it was meters not yards. I can do at least close to 42 push-ups in two minutes. I can hit the running time, though I would be pooped. And in my best shape, I can do 2-3 pull-ups. Also note that, in my triathlon experience, non-competitive men tend to be slower swimmers than women (or at least the gap between men and women is much smaller in amateur swimming), probably because of social conditioning, like with the pull-up thing. It's funny that their swimming requirement is the loosest when one would think that swimming would be much more important for a raft guide than running.

Edited for mistake

Yes, it is directed at you and yes, I still think your first comment was contradictory. However, I think the bolded above is actually a more equitable solution. Also, this is a Norwegian company, and as Miggy pointed out, we don't know what they mean by pull up

[StellaMarie]

There are plenty of women who can do 8 pull-ups. It says there is no time limit.

It's for an extreme tour guide, yeah? I know nothing about that industry. But I'd imagine that this company, which specializes in it, would know what specific skill set is relevant. So let's not pretend we know what the most important physical requirements should be. Swimming skills won't get you far in the rapids. I'd think endurance and upper body strength (to pull yourself up on a rock or out of the current) might be more important.

This is also not a native English speaking country. Norway has a different business culture and are extremely socially liberal. I'm not Norwegian, so perhaps one of the Scandinavian posters on here can clarify that.

Frankly, I think the response was quite rude. Honestly, I would probably not give equal consideration to an applicant with a degree from an incredibly conservative Christian college with a purity pledge and anti-LGBT mission statement either. However, I wouldn't bait or antagonize them. I would merely find a reason (ANY reason) they weren't qualified, wish them well, and find someone who was a better fit in my hypothetical company. I doubt a very conservative Christian would be particularly happy working in the type of company I would (again, hypothetically) have either. What if that person decided to proselytize to your guests when they're 20 miles out from civilization? Think about how that would reflect on your organization.

However, this guy should have stuffed a sock in it. He may well face legal ramifications for being so outspoken and should have just said "we're going with a more qualified candidate" and moved on. There's no need to insult people.

ETA: I don't want to imply that it's okay to discriminate against Christians. It's not. My point is that a recent graduate from a very conservative school (I'm not even talking Notre Dame or Pepperdine) would probably not be a good fit at a company with openly gay employees/a very secular and inclusive mission statement. This guy should have gone about it differently.

I agree.

In fact, it's an odd situation where a Christian is claiming discrimination because she wasn't hired because the company assumed that her views were discriminatory.

Their site says, specifically, "We embrace diversity and offer our staff and clients a tolerant environment free of harassment and prejudice."

Do, of course, agree with others that the Amaruk guys acted like idiots and went too far. AND the first guy didn't actually know her views when he responded -- though I'm not sure his guess was wrong, given her assertion that 76% of the world was on her side (I think it's a fair assumption that "sex outside of marriage" is code for "sex outside of a holy marriage between one man and one woman").

[Firiel]

There are plenty of women who can do 8 pull-ups. It says there is no time limit.

It's for an extreme tour guide, yeah? I know nothing about that industry. But I'd imagine that this company, which specializes in it, would know what specific skill set is relevant. So let's not pretend we know what the most important physical requirements should be. Swimming skills won't get you far in the rapids. I'd think endurance and upper body strength (to pull yourself up on a rock or out of the current) might be more important.

This is also not a native English speaking country. Norway has a different business culture and are extremely socially liberal. I'm not Norwegian, so perhaps one of the Scandinavian posters on here can clarify that.

Frankly, I think the response was quite rude. Honestly, I would probably not give equal consideration to an applicant with a degree from an incredibly conservative Christian college with a purity pledge and anti-LGBT mission statement either. However, I wouldn't bait or antagonize them. I would merely find a reason (ANY reason) they weren't qualified, wish them well, and find someone who was a better fit in my hypothetical company. I doubt a very conservative Christian would be particularly happy working in the type of company I would (again, hypothetically) have either. What if that person decided to proselytize to your guests when they're 20 miles out from civilization? Think about how that would reflect on your organization.

However, this guy should have stuffed a sock in it. He may well face legal ramifications for being so outspoken and should have just said "we're going with a more qualified candidate" and moved on. There's no need to insult people.

ETA: I don't want to imply that it's okay to discriminate against Christians. It's not. My point is that a recent graduate from a very conservative school (I'm not even talking Notre Dame or Pepperdine) would probably not be a good fit at a company with openly gay employees/a very secular and inclusive mission statement. This guy should have gone about it differently.

So in the same post, you both admit you would discriminate against a Christian (a supposed Christian, at that... many people leave conservative Christian colleges as atheists) and say that it's not okay to discriminate against Christians? How do you justify that?

And if a Christian proselytizes out in the wilderness, then they get fired. Because it's (wisely) against company policy to do so. So that's what happens in the event a Christian tries to convert people on the clock.

I'm risking a false equivalency here, but I think it applies. Would you be okay with a Christian boss-man passing up an application of someone who lists volunteering at a mosque under their community service? Because, after all, a dangerous raft trip is the perfect opportunity to crash the raft and kill the infidels. :roll: Less over-the-top, perhaps the Christian boss worries that the supposedly Muslim person will speak negatively about the consumption of bacon and cured ham on the trip and make the customers uncomfortable.

I work for a Christian organization that has some beliefs I very decidedly don't share. If someone saw that on my resume and refused to hire me because they assumed I wouldn't be able to work with and accept gay people or non-Christian people, I would be pissed, and rightly so.

[Firiel]

Yes, it is directed at you and yes, I still think your first comment was contradictory. However, I think the bolded above is actually a more equitable solution. Also, this is a Norwegian company, and as Miggy pointed out, we don't know what they mean by pull up

I wouldn't have noticed the pull-up thing were it not for the blatantly sexist (IMO) comment/joke in their e-mail to the woman. That, combined with the fact that wilderness companies can unfairly tend to become "boys' clubs" made me wonder if their physical standards weren't unnecessarily/arbitrarily eliminating women that would be great guides. Especially considering the Marines only require three pull-ups.

And I do stand by the statement that if you grabbed a random selection of 100 men and 100 women (even a random selection of athletic men and women), you would get more pull-ups out of the men's group, in large part due to social conditioning.

[StellaMarie]

This school has apparently been in the news a lot recently -- the law school was in jeopardy of not being accredited because of the school's requirement that students and staff covenant not to engage in same-sex relationships.

Her school's requirement is openly discriminatory and outright hostile to gay men and lesbians. Again, I'm not suggesting that the response was appropriate -- especially since the company didn't know this individual woman's views at the time of the first response and just assumed that her views were similarly anti-gay -- but it cannot come as a shock that people are incredibly offended by the school's policy.

[nelliebelle1197]

I wouldn't have noticed the pull-up thing were it not for the blatantly sexist (IMO) comment/joke in their e-mail to the woman. That, combined with the fact that wilderness companies can unfairly tend to become "boys' clubs" made me wonder if their physical standards weren't unnecessarily/arbitrarily eliminating women that would be great guides. Especially considering the Marines only require three pull-ups.

That makes sense. I didn't see that comment as sexist so much just ... weird.... so the guy is lucky if he is gay rather than with a woman, especially a British Columbian/Canadian woman? Language barrier, maybe? Yet the company is operating in Canada? Just weirdness.

I get intellectually and from a legal standpoint why this woman deserves to go after these people. But emotionally I want her to STFU. In the US, Christians have used their religion to manipulate the law to deny rights to people (see Hobby Lobby), so the naughty part of me does not mind that she could not get the job because of the beliefs they assumed she has. Also, using "God Bless" or whatever in an insincere way just to goad them is unseemly and disrespectful to sincere Christians to me, even though I am not religious and don't buy into Christianity.

[jaelh]

There are plenty of women who can do 8 pull-ups. It says there is no time limit.

It's for an extreme tour guide, yeah? I know nothing about that industry. But I'd imagine that this company, which specializes in it, would know what specific skill set is relevant. So let's not pretend we know what the most important physical requirements should be. Swimming skills won't get you far in the rapids. I'd think endurance and upper body strength (to pull yourself up on a rock or out of the current) might be more important.

My brother worked in the industry for years - he says there are two types of wilderness guides. Johnny Rambos and lifestyle guiders. He put this organisation firmly in the JR camp.

(also, when I send him the link, he was like... dear lord, they'd be awful to work for- anyone paying 15K for a 7 day trip is going to be hell to guide. he turned down work with similar companies in the past: he's of the opinion that no amount of free 1st class travel can make up for the awfulness that is 2-3K a day clients).

I'm not sure she's going to have much chance though - if she wasn't actually eligible for the job because she didn't meet the minimum requirements, then unless she can show that other people with her deficit skill set got the job, the comments about her faith aren't going to make much difference. the discrimination has to result in the not-getting-hired, not just rudeness. **

** caveat: not a US lawyer. not a labour lawyer. etc. please correct me as necessary.

[piikki]

I see no one has mentioned it yet so maybe it's only local, but Trinity Western has been in the news here quite a lot this past year because the law society has refused to accredit graduates from their program. They've also had problems with other law societies refusing to accredit them and one teachers' association not accepting graduates. I have to wonder if the company was just trying to get press and look cool for their desired clientele by hitching onto the Trinity Western news story.

P.S. After a few years of lurking this is the first time I've had something semi-relevant to post. Eeep!

[Tiger Lily]

Obviously, this situation is well into both sides claiming their own correctness and the other's wrongness, so I have a shaker of salt on hand while I read.

The thing is...Sometimes people attend a college that they don't agree with; often, it's a gradual process. See all the fundie kids who are "allowed" to go to an extremely conservative religious college OR to stay home. Or their beliefs change after they finish college. I got my BA from a Southern Baptist school (not Liberty), and have had the "you will be interacting with a diverse customer/coworker base" subject come up in interviews. I don't believe much of anything that my alma mater focused on anymore, so my response is less "OMG how do I not freak out when I talk to a gay person" and more "I'm sure we'll find something in common".

Of course, I wouldn't respond to "because you went to a religious college, you're obviously still religious and thus must conform to the assumptions I have about your beliefs" with "well but JESUS" so much as "Thank you for your consideration I'm dodging a serious bullet here I think, I hope you find the best candidate soon". Especially if assumption person is someone I'd work with regularly.

I know a gay man who graduated from Liberty U. He didn't fully realize he was gay until junior year and then it was too late to transfer anywhere else so he stayed. He also told me that he was not the only student in this situation. It's a lot more common than people think so just because a person attends a religious school, that doesn't necessarily mean they espouse all its beliefs. My friend even went on to earn his graduate degree at LU which I'll admit confused me because by this time, he did have other options.

[Firiel]

I know a gay man who graduated from Liberty U. He didn't fully realize he was gay until junior year and then it was too late to transfer anywhere else so he stayed. He also told me that he was not the only student in this situation. It's a lot more common than people think so just because a person attends a religious school, that doesn't necessarily mean they espouse all its beliefs. My friend even went on to earn his graduate degree at LU which I'll admit confused me because by this time, he did have other options.

In fact, here is a story of a young man discovering he's gay while attending Liberty:

theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/04/being-gay-at-jerry-falwells-university/274578/

The professor he came out to suggested he see one of the school counselors. This is what he has to say about the folks he saw:

When people find out I underwent therapy at Jerry Falwell's Christian college, they assume I went through something like gay reparative therapy. But that isn't what happened. I saw two counselors at Liberty—Dr. Reeves also had me meet with Ryan, one of his grad students, once a week—and neither of them ever expressed an interest in "curing" me. Did they have an agenda? Yes. Their goal, which they were very honest about, was to help me to like myself, and to find peace with the real Brandon. I remember one time telling Dr. Reeves I felt like I was being a different Brandon to each person in my life. Dr. Reeves raised his eyebrows and asked, "Isn't that exhausting?" Dr. Reeves and Ryan knew I was tired of hiding and lying, and living in fear and subjection to others' opinions; and so they told me that I should try liking myself because, after all, I was a likable guy and they enjoyed spending time with me.

I ended up sitting under Dr. Reeves and Ryan for three more years. Most gay people couldn't be paid to attend Christian counseling. But me? Well, those sessions were the highlight of my week. Not only did I get to spill all of my juicy sex gossip (which I always did, usually just to try to gross them out... which never worked!) but I got to talk openly with two men who loved me for no other reason than being Brandon.

Not that Liberty University is gay-friendly and totally liberal or that their theology is not harmful, but open, loving, and accepting people do exist in places even where the policies are NOT open or accepting. So NoneandDoneinCali would find a way, ANY way, to reject both these people, the therapist and student, from her organization should they apply. Simply because of the assumption that anyone with any association with Liberty University hates gay people and won't be able to work with them or will try to convert their co-workers on the sly. I mean, I guess that's cool and all, but it's still religious discrimination which is illegal.

[Artemis]

Only an extremely naive young lady would look at their website andd expect them to hire a female.

Come on people - this is clearly a men only thing. And I do mean a gay men thing. (Disclaimer: and why the hell shouldn't it be?) All of that rather muscle-bound male beauty is not sitting there, pumped and bare-chested for the delectation and delight of any mere female . . .

Look at the carefully chosen accommodation miles from anywhere with (LOL) drones overflying to prevent any incursions by mischievous paparazzi. Then read the 'by invitation only' tag to it. Let alone the price tag. Naked romps being whipped out of the sauna with birch twigs, anyone?

Read the subtext? What a silly girl she was, imagining they'd want a woman involved . . .

(Oh yes, totes a bunch of arrogant dickheads. But then, as is often said, your being a member of a minority does not preclude your being an arrogant dickhead, any more than it renders it more likely.)

[longtimelurker6]

I personally think the company is way out of line.

Agreed. Specifically, the guy answering the emails sounds like a real dork. And I'm suspicious of anyone who's quite that keen on Norse identity. Nothing wrong with having blond hair and blue eyes, but the people who obsess about it tend to end up in hate groups.

As for being a Viking, O RLY :shifty: ? Has he ever burned a village, raped the inhabitants, and carved the blood eagle on someone's back?

[debrand]

Just curious. If I am hiring employees and see the name of a college that is known for holding bigoted views on homosexuality or exposing racist ideas, can I legally ask the potential employee if they agree with their former college's views?

[Firiel]

As for being a Viking, O RLY :shifty: ? Has he ever burned a village, raped the inhabitants, and carved the blood eagle on someone's back?

That was my general reaction to that statement as well. I wrote about certain Anglo-Saxon texts as responses to the Viking invasions for my thesis, so I had an eye-rolling moment when I thought of his "Viking manly-man" expeditions compared to, you know, raiding coastal villages and raping the women.

[StellaMarie]

Just curious. If I am hiring employees and see the name of a college that is known for holding bigoted views on homosexuality or exposing racist ideas, can I legally ask the potential employee if they agree with their former college's views?

It's an interesting question and I'm sure that an employment lawyer or HR specialist would know best, so this is just my opinion (and in real life I'd probably get this resume and ask an expert how to respond!).

I suspect that you could ask leading questions and see how she responds. Like, "we value and promote a diverse and inclusive environment; what are your thoughts on that?"

I said this above, too, so sorry to repeat myself -- but I do think that this young woman showed that she *did* agree with her school's views, though not until after the company's initial (and inappropriate) response. I guess the trick would be to try to uncover those views without making it super obvious and/or potentially giving someone grounds for a discrimination claim.

Frankly, and I know this would be hugely unpopular here, the least risky approach would probably be to just decline to interview her and send a simple form rejection.

[Walking Cat Bed]

Just curious. If I am hiring employees and see the name of a college that is known for holding bigoted views on homosexuality or exposing racist ideas, can I legally ask the potential employee if they agree with their former college's views?

I'm not an HR professional, but I think you can hint at it; I've had interviewers ask, for example, how comfortable I am with a diverse customer/coworker group. Many asked me to "describe a situation in which you and the customer/coworker had very different perspectives". I definitely read those as, at least in part, figuring out how I felt about GLBT individuals (and, in my university's case, working with international students).

[Walking Cat Bed]

It's an interesting question and I'm sure that an employment lawyer or HR specialist would know best, so this is just my opinion (and in real life I'd probably get this resume and ask an expert how to respond!).

I suspect that you could ask leading questions and see how she responds. Like, "we value and promote a diverse and inclusive environment; what are your thoughts on that?"

I said this above, too, so sorry to repeat myself -- but I do think that this young woman showed that she *did* agree with her school's views, though not until after the company's initial (and inappropriate) response. I guess the trick would be to try to uncover those views without making it super obvious and/or potentially giving someone grounds for a discrimination claim.

Frankly, and I know this would be hugely unpopular here, the least risky approach would probably be to just decline to interview her and send a simple form rejection.

I can't tell you how many job applications I never heard anything about (except for a boilerplate "we received your application" e-mail). It would have worked out better in this case, I think.

[NoneandDoneinCali]

So in the same post, you both admit you would discriminate against a Christian (a supposed Christian, at that... many people leave conservative Christian colleges as atheists) and say that it's not okay to discriminate against Christians? How do you justify that?

And if a Christian proselytizes out in the wilderness, then they get fired. Because it's (wisely) against company policy to do so. So that's what happens in the event a Christian tries to convert people on the clock.

I'm risking a false equivalency here, but I think it applies. Would you be okay with a Christian boss-man passing up an application of someone who lists volunteering at a mosque under their community service? Because, after all, a dangerous raft trip is the perfect opportunity to crash the raft and kill the infidels. :roll: Less over-the-top, perhaps the Christian boss worries that the supposedly Muslim person will speak negatively about the consumption of bacon and cured ham on the trip and make the customers uncomfortable.

I work for a Christian organization that has some beliefs I very decidedly don't share. If someone saw that on my resume and refused to hire me because they assumed I wouldn't be able to work with and accept gay people or non-Christian people, I would be pissed, and rightly so.

I don't care what religion anyone is, I care that they advertise it. I don't wear an Atheism T-shirt to interviews, and I have never been asked about my spirituality as a requisite for any job I've applied for. I'm sorry, but a recent graduate from an extremely conservative, barely accredited, openly bigoted school is going to have to work that much harder to show they are qualified for a job that I would (hypothetically) be hiring for. IF they did, in fact, have amazing credentials, better than nearly any other applicant, I would consider them. In the interview, I would also ask leading questions (as someone stated above), making sure they were not in agreement with homophobic or racist stances espoused by their college. No company is required to hire any person based on anything, they are merely required not to discriminate against them. A Muslim man who decided he couldn't work under a female boss would be no more eligible than an Evangelical homophobe. If a person has relevant volunteer experience, I could give two shits if it occurs at a mosque, or a church, or their state college, or a temple, or in the United Basement of Satan. I don't care. Just don't bring it to work. I went to grad school at a prestigious state school, and I would honestly prefer people that went to a state school that had to jump through hoops to get in (that shows me they are willing and able to work hard and sacrifice towards a goal). It's not a matter of hating Christians or anything like that. And, like I said in the first place, these employers were out of line in their response. Don't assume I'm some anti-religious nut job because I don't agree with you.

[nelliebelle1197]

Well, this just got weirder

http://www.ipick.ca/vancouver/amaruk-wi ... n-attack-2

[tropaka]

Well, this just got weirder

http://www.ipick.ca/vancouver/amaruk-wi ... n-attack-2

So they're just fraudulent assholes. That would explain a lot.

[Firiel]

I don't care what religion anyone is, I care that they advertise it. I don't wear an Atheism T-shirt to interviews, and I have never been asked about my spirituality as a requisite for any job I've applied for. I'm sorry, but a recent graduate from an extremely conservative, barely accredited, openly bigoted school is going to have to work that much harder to show they are qualified for a job that I would (hypothetically) be hiring for. IF they did, in fact, have amazing credentials, better than nearly any other applicant, I would consider them. In the interview, I would also ask leading questions (as someone stated above), making sure they were not in agreement with homophobic or racist stances espoused by their college. No company is required to hire any person based on anything, they are merely required not to discriminate against them. A Muslim man who decided he couldn't work under a female boss would be no more eligible than an Evangelical homophobe. If a person has relevant volunteer experience, I could give two shits if it occurs at a mosque, or a church, or their state college, or a temple, or in the United Basement of Satan. I don't care. Just don't bring it to work. I went to grad school at a prestigious state school, and I would honestly prefer people that went to a state school that had to jump through hoops to get in (that shows me they are willing and able to work hard and sacrifice towards a goal). It's not a matter of hating Christians or anything like that. And, like I said in the first place, these employers were out of line in their response. Don't assume I'm some anti-religious nut job because I don't agree with you.

I didn't say you were an anti-religious nut job. I pointed out the irony that you specifically lay out the fact that you would discriminate based on religion and then say it's wrong to discriminate based on religion.

I do think that the academic reputation of a school is a valid consideration, though since the job in question does not require college/a degree, I don't think it applies in this case.

[Firiel]

So they're just fraudulent assholes. That would explain a lot.

I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry. :shock:

ALSO I KNEW THEIR PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS WERE STRANGELY MISMATCHED!!!

I'm guessing they called up Ken for advice in that area.

[Mama Mia]

I don't care what religion anyone is, I care that they advertise it. I don't wear an Atheism T-shirt to interviews, and I have never been asked about my spirituality as a requisite for any job I've applied for. I'm sorry, but a recent graduate from an extremely conservative, barely accredited, openly bigoted school is going to have to work that much harder to show they are qualified for a job that I would (hypothetically) be hiring for. IF they did, in fact, have amazing credentials, better than nearly any other applicant, I would consider them. In the interview, I would also ask leading questions (as someone stated above), making sure they were not in agreement with homophobic or racist stances espoused by their college. No company is required to hire any person based on anything, they are merely required not to discriminate against them. A Muslim man who decided he couldn't work under a female boss would be no more eligible than an Evangelical homophobe. If a person has relevant volunteer experience, I could give two shits if it occurs at a mosque, or a church, or their state college, or a temple, or in the United Basement of Satan. I don't care. Just don't bring it to work. I went to grad school at a prestigious state school, and I would honestly prefer people that went to a state school that had to jump through hoops to get in (that shows me they are willing and able to work hard and sacrifice towards a goal). It's not a matter of hating Christians or anything like that. And, like I said in the first place, these employers were out of line in their response. Don't assume I'm some anti-religious nut job because I don't agree with you.

Wow. Just. Wow. :shock: I truly hope, for your sake, and the sake of any possible employees, that you are never in a position to make hiring decisions.

If you can't see how openly discriminatory virtually every word you wrote is....well, all I can say is you are going to make some litigious job applicant very happy. If you don't see how, substitute any other sort of group it's illegal to discriminate against, and insert name of a college / work experience that person might have had and see how it flies.

Of course it is perfectly appropriate to ask every applicant if they are comfortable working with diverse groups of people in a job that involves working with the public. You might include relevant questions for the job - like how would they handle crises or conflict or rude customers or whatever. But you can't go into it expecting person x to have to " prove" themselves any more than person y, simply because you have a bunch of assumptions about how person x will behave on the job based on their religion, rave, ethnicity, sexual orientation, national origin etc....Good Lord :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: