Antigay Facebook Posts Lead to Big Pay Cut

What you can and cannot say on Facebook is becoming a real problem for homophobes.

A Manchester, England, man who made antigay comments on Facebook got a 40% pay cut when his employer found out, and now the man is filing a lawsuit, the BBC reports.

Adrian Smith was a manager at Trafford Housing Trust and was moved to an adviser role after Smith said on Facebook that the Bible insists "marriage is for men and women," and he also called same-sex marriage "an equality too far."

Trafford Housing Trust said the statements violated its code of conduct, which requires employees to make clear on Facebook and elsewhere that their personal statements do not represent the company. Smith's Facebook page had identified him as a manager at the company.

Among the first big cases was that of Jerry Buell, a Florida social studies teacher who reacted bitterly to passage of marriage equality in New York. The school district did not remove him for those comments but investigated other complaints about whether his classroom conduct inappropriately mixed church and school.

Most recently, a New Jersey high school teacher named Viki Knox is being investigated by her school district for calling homosexuality a “perverted spirit” on Facebook, where she also complained about her school’s recognition of October as LGBT History Month.

But it isn't just Facebook that's an issue. Knox, who is a special education teacher and faculty adviser, reacted to the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" on Twitter.

“DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL!?!” she tweeted. “ARE THEY SERIOUS? GOD IS NOT PLEASED AND NEITHER AM I!!! THE END IS NEAR!!!”

None of the oversharing defendants have apologized and have instead fought back, claiming it's their right to make homophobic comments.