RE/MAX agent distributes anti-gay flyers; shit hits the fan

Think fast: what’s the worst thing you’ve ever done at work? Maybe you ate a co-worker’s leftover pad thai, or maybe you hit “reply all” on an email you really hoped wouldn’t get out. Well, no matter how badly you fucked up at work, don’t feel too bad because at least you never sent out hundreds of anti-gay flyers.

Whoops.

RE/MAX agent Andrew Ciastek decided that it would be a good idea to distribute hundreds of flyers claiming that gay families are harmful to kids. Turns out, it wasn’t really a good idea, and after his workplace found out about the incident, Ciastek was forced to apologize and make a charitable donation.

Const. George Tudos said the Criminal Investigation Bureau looked into the incident and spoke to Ciastek about the impact of the literature. No charges will be laid, he said.

Christine Martysiewicz, director of internal and public relations for RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada, said “the views and opinions expressed in this piece do not reflect those of RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada or our agents.”

She said Ciastek will issue a public apology and make a donation to a local charity of the company’s choosing.

Ciastek also told the Star he will apologize “because I understand some people were very hurt. It is the right thing to apologize.” [SOURCE]

I’m not sure if Ciastek is playing dumb or if he legitimately had no idea that he what he was doing was crazy bigoted, but you have to figure that at some point, you need to sit down and think about what you’re doing. Especially if what you’re doing involves printing out hundreds of flyers documenting your personal beliefs and then handing them out to complete strangers. That right there probably should have been a red flag.

Keep Reading

Trans issues didn’t doom the Democrats

OPINION: The Republicans won ending on a giant anti-trans note, but Democrats ultimately failed to communicate on class

Xtra Explains: Trans girls and sports

Debunking some of the biggest myths around trans girls and fairness in sports

How ‘mature minor’ laws let trans kids make their own decisions

Canadian law lets some youth make medical or legal decisions for themselves, but how does it work?

To combat transphobia, we need to engage with the people who spread it

OPINION: opening up a dialogue with those we disagree with is key if we want to achieve widespread social change