From the Daily Herald:
To insurance giant Allstate Corp., former employee J. Matt Barber is simply “one guy disputing his termination.”
But to same-sex marriage opponents, the circumstances behind Barber’s dismissal from the Northbrook-based company have made him a 36-year-old cause celebre.
Barber, a born-again Christian, says he was fired for writing an online article defending marriage and criticizing homosexuality. The Villa Park resident later filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Allstate’s action constituted discrimination on the basis of religion.
“This is about free speech,” said Barber, a non-practicing attorney. “It’s about the chilling effect that Allstate’s actions have on individual rights. How much control does a corporation have over their employees’ private activities?”
An Allstate representative, however, says Barber was using company resources on company time to dabble as an online conservative columnist.
Matt Barber is gaining the support of conservative groups and even gubernatorial candidate Jim Oberweis. who has hired Barber to coordinate his campaign in DuPage County.
“No employee of Allstate has ever been terminated for expressing their personal views using their own equipment on their own time,” spokesman Michael Trevino said.
Some conservative groups aren’t buying that explanation. They have been using newsletters and the Internet to spread Barber’s story and urge Allstate customers to cancel their policies.
“Matt’s become the symbol for politically correct repression,” said Peter LaBarbera, executive director of the Glen Ellyn-based Illinois Family Institute. “He lost his job for just giving his thoughts
Technorati tags: Free Speech Allstate Weblogs
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