Last week, six employees were fired from St. Katharine’s Living Center in Davenport on the basis of their homosexuality. Administrator Roger Crow said that when he first came to the hospital, there were “probably at least three faggots and three dykes working here.” He also told reporters that these workers shouldn’t be working at the hospital because they don’t have acceptable “moral character.”

Complaints have been filed via the Civil Rights Commission, and even though St. Katharine’s receives $600,000 funding from the state, legal action may be difficult to undertake.

Why? Because there are no Iowa laws protecting the rights of homosexuals.

Perhaps Crow knew this when he made his decision, but does that make his actions reasonable?

It is time for Iowa to take action before employers make it open season on homosexuals.

The Iowa Legislature can take direct action, or it can wait for the courts to set a precedent.

The state has never amended such laws because they trusted that Iowa businesses would be responsible in their employment practices.

Not only should Roger Crow be held responsible for his actions, but so should the state for not taking any action before something such as this occurred.

The fired workers still have recourse, if not with the state directly, then indirectly through the mercy of the court system. When no law addresses a problem, court decisions and statutes take precedence. Let’s hope that the courts can pick up where our legislature left off before others are left to decide our fates based on their own opinions of morality.