Disabled And Transgender Google Employee Fired For Supporting Diversity And Minorities?
In a seemingly confusing development, Google is now facing a lawsuit following their decision to fire a software developer who responded and fought back against the infamous James Damore memo that condemned the participation of women and other minorities in the field. The plaintiff, Tim Chevalier, was fired on the grounds of engaging in too much activism.
According to reports, the lawsuit found its way to the California state court in San Francisco where it alleges that the tech giant made the wrong call of firing Chevalier over his desire to counteract the sexism and racism that Damore's viral memo exemplified. Chevalier responded through internal posts and memes, before he was finally called by his acting manager to tell him that he was engaging in too much social activism. Moreover, the case details how Chevalier's actions were fuelled by the fact that some of his co-workers criticized diversity policies.
"An important part of our culture is lively debate. But like any workplace, that doesn't mean anything goes. All employees acknowledge our code of conduct and other workplace policies, under which promoting harmful stereotypes based on race or gender is prohibited," Googles spokesperson Gina Scigliano said in a statement, as reported by The Verge. "This is a very standard expectation that most employers have of their employees. The overwhelming majority of our employees communicate in a way that is consistent with our policies. But when an employee does not, it is something we must take seriously. We always make our decision without any regard to the employee's political views."
In response to Google's statement on the matter, Chevalier's lawyers emphasized that the firing of their client was the result of the tech giant's inability to control their social media networks. More information on the matter is expected to be released in the coming weeks, so fans are advised to stay tuned for more updates.
