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| Michael Moore says he was fired from his job for being gay. (Photo courtesy of Moore) |
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HOME > NEWS > LOCAL
By: Chris Johnson COMMENTS
 
A gay man who says he was forced to resign from his position at the Virginia Museum of Natural History because of his sexual orientation has taken his case to the Virginia Court of Appeals.
Michael Moore, a former resident of Martinsville, Va., is appealing his case after the Circuit Court of the City of Martinsville ruled against him in a decision last month.
Michael Hamar, who’s gay and Moore’s attorney, sought a remedy under Gov. Tim Kaine’s (D) executive order from 2006, which prohibits job bias based on sexual orientation in the state workplace. But the circuit court ruled that the order provides “no subject matter jurisdiction” and doesn’t “create causes of action nor waive sovereign immunity.”
Hamar said Kaine has “done nothing” to support his executive order even though he said it’s under attack.
“I mean, the governor has said he’s supposedly going to support this through the employment procedures process, so that’s what we’re appealing,” Hamar said. “We’re going to put his feet to the fire.”
Hamar said he didn’t have any idea for the timeline on how the lawsuit will proceed. When asked about the prospects for the case, he replied, “Candidly, who knows? We’re in a conservative state.”
According to Moore, during his evaluation in October 2006, the museum’s executive director, Tim Gette said, “Michael, there are board members that are aware you are gay, and I do not appreciate you hiding that from me.” Moore has said his evaluation qualified him for a pay increase, but he was still asked to resign the following month.
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