EDGE Boston

A Tennessee man says he was fired from his job as a hotel’s manager of human resources for being gay--and also claims that the hotel’s owner challenged voices a challenge to him and other gay employees to bring suit for their firings.

The story was posted by Nashville TV station and NBC affiliate WSMV Channel 4 on Jan. 8.

David Hill says that Artee Hotel owner Tarun Surti made no bones about the reason for Hill’s firing.

The story quoted Hill as saying, "They literally said to me because of my orientation and my alternative lifestyle, that I was not a fit for the hotel."

Hill claimed that Surti shrugged off the hotel’s own policies that bar discrimination based on sexual orientation. Related Hill, "The owner said, ’I don’t give a damn.

"’They can sue me. I will not have any of the gays in leadership roles in my hotel.’"

Added Hill, "And that’s a quote."

GLBT publication Out and About reported that Surti denied the story, saying that Hill was fired due to the business "scaling down" on its employees.

Said Surti, "This rumor is absolutely wrong," the paper reported.

The article further quoted Surti as saying, "Times are tough and we have to cut corners to makes sure we survive the bad times."

Added the hotel owner, "These are unhappy employees and they will say whatever they want to.

"Its absolutely wrong for them to say what they’re saying."

But the Channel 4 story said that Hill’s story was confirmed by the hotel’s assistant general manager, Leonard Stoddard, who was quoted as saying, "he was gay" in explaining why Hill was terminated after about a month on the job.

Stoddard said, "The owner, Mr. Surti, comes from a culture that is not very tolerant to the gay lifestyle, and therefore he felt it necessary to have him removed from the workforce at the property."

Stoddard also said that the company’s own guidelines include guarantees against workplace discrimination.

Said Stoddard, "It is in our employee handbook that no one should be discriminated against, harassed verbally, physically or any other means for their sexuality, their sexual orientation, gender, race or anything of that sort."

The Out and About article reported that Stoddard claimed the firing came about after Surti received a letter from another employee who had been fired, partly due to issues of sexuality.

That letter outed Hill and other employees, the article said, and Hill’s firing followed, despite Surti’s previous praise for Hill, who Stoddard said was hard-working.

The article also said that Stoddard claimed he, too, had been given notice by Surti.

Said Stoddard, "I knew the owner’s personal position on the gay lifestyle, but, quite frankly, I never thought that he would be brazen enough to act on it," the article reported.

"Apparently his position is, ’Let them sue me. I don’t give a damn.’"

GLBT workers in Tennessee are not protected from workplace discrimination. The Out & About article noted that the president of the Tennessee Equality Project, Christopher Sanders, cited the incident as proof that federal protections are needed.

Said Sanders, "This points to the need for us to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) because in many places our community is not protected."

Added Sanders, "Why in the 21st century aren’t we focused on the most talented workforce and why are we focusing on issues like sexual orientation?

"We really need a law to help us get past this."