A Christian who refused to sign a totalitarian diversity statement imposed on employees by AT&T Broadband won a federal lawsuit filed against the company for firing him. AT&T fired Albert Buonanno for refusing to sign a "Certificate of Understanding" that required him to "fully recognize, respect and value" a series of attributes, including varying sexual orientations. "For Buonanno, to acknowledge that he agrees with a lifestyle which he believes to be sinful would be to compromise his faith and contradict what he considers the Bible's views on homosexuality to be," said the Rutherford Institute, which handled the lawsuit, in a statement about the case.
U.S. District Judge Marcia Krieger of Colorado ruled in favor of Buonanno and said that AT&T did not use the "reasonable accommodation" standard in order to accommodate Buonanno's religious beliefs. Buonanno offered to promise not to discriminate against or harass people of differing orientations, but that was not good enough for his superiors. Buonanno won back pay and lost 401(k) contributions of $146,000. "This issue is about more than an objection to homosexuality. It concerns the freedom of conscience-the right of individuals to object to something they believe is wrong, especially when it contradicts their religious beliefs, whether it is war, abortion, homosexuality or a number of other issues," said John Whitehead, president of Rutherford.
