the entire glass space was filled with pictures from the website. Printed in various sizes, the pictures were stuck for all of MoonStar Venice to see. Unsure of who else had seen it, he removed the pictures as fast as he could.
For all the good he had accomplished in his life, he was tormented in a way he knew he did not deserve. But who would listen? In the few weeks the site had been operational, discussion groups had formed, opinions added and more people informed. The last he checked, the site had reached more than three million viewers. Who was he to go against three million people?
Hushed voices greeted Cathy as she approached the executive meeting room at MoonStar Venice. Eight days earlier, their Guest Services Manager had committed suicide at the staff quarters where he had lived. Gary had hung himself from a wooden beam in the room with a belt.
Always one for punctuality, a junior associate suspected something amiss when he had not shown up for work and had gone looking for him. She saw him hanging from the beam through a window and had asked Security to break down the door. It was at that very moment that hell made a quick descent on this property.
Even in death, Gary was thoughtful. Politely, his letter apologised for any mess or inconvenience he might have caused. He provided detailed arrangements for his funeral. Other details included medical and accommodation arrangements for his mother. Obviously, Gary had put much thought into his suicide. This had raised many questions with management. As they started asking around, they came across the website, GayGary.com which showed Gary engaged in various sexual acts with other men, even teenage boys. He was seen kissing in bars and even having one of the MoonStar associates perform oral sex on him in his office.
For a hotel chain that preached non-discriminatory work ethics and then had an associate commit suicide because he was pressured about his sexuality, also meant suicide for the property. Cathy was summoned as the property carried out its internal investigation into the website.
"You know, Cathy, on the one hand, I want to tell everyone that it's no big deal. Go back to work. It's business as usual. But the fact that our associates participated in creating such a website and nobody brought it to our attention sooner, well ... that's one of the reasons you're here," said Terry Kimel, the General Manager of the property.
He seemed distraught and for good reason. The negative reaction this could set off was fatal for everyone involved and needed to be handled as cautiously as possible.
"For more than twenty years, I've held this post and I've never seen anything like this. They keep telling me technology is moving us forward. Bah!" He was agitated, his temples visibly vibrated as he raised his voice. Part of him was furious while the other seemed reminiscent of days when websites were a luxury not misused for creating mischief.
"And we are absolutely certain that Adam started the site?" he asked. He stood up but continued to look down at the paperwork on his desk.
Oliver, the Security Manager nodded. "IT checked and he's been banging on about it every minute of the day. His Twitter account is full of it as well. Gary denied his leave application for the Christmas holidays so this is what he did." The man splayed his hands in frustration. "Damn twit, if you ask me."
"But Cathy, you can issue a statement that this was the act of one employee, no? We have to get the word out that this is not MoonStar practice. We're nearing the deadline for our new room promotions, not to mention the bookings we'll be receiving for the Carnival of Venice. Cancellations of any kind are bound to rock the boat," piped in Pietro the Director of Sales and Marketing.
"Until HR makes a final decision about how they want to deal with Adam, I'll keep telling the press the same thing, ‘We do not discriminate and that this is a time
For all the good he had accomplished in his life, he was tormented in a way he knew he did not deserve. But who would listen? In the few weeks the site had been operational, discussion groups had formed, opinions added and more people informed. The last he checked, the site had reached more than three million viewers. Who was he to go against three million people?
Hushed voices greeted Cathy as she approached the executive meeting room at MoonStar Venice. Eight days earlier, their Guest Services Manager had committed suicide at the staff quarters where he had lived. Gary had hung himself from a wooden beam in the room with a belt.
Always one for punctuality, a junior associate suspected something amiss when he had not shown up for work and had gone looking for him. She saw him hanging from the beam through a window and had asked Security to break down the door. It was at that very moment that hell made a quick descent on this property.
Even in death, Gary was thoughtful. Politely, his letter apologised for any mess or inconvenience he might have caused. He provided detailed arrangements for his funeral. Other details included medical and accommodation arrangements for his mother. Obviously, Gary had put much thought into his suicide. This had raised many questions with management. As they started asking around, they came across the website, GayGary.com which showed Gary engaged in various sexual acts with other men, even teenage boys. He was seen kissing in bars and even having one of the MoonStar associates perform oral sex on him in his office.
For a hotel chain that preached non-discriminatory work ethics and then had an associate commit suicide because he was pressured about his sexuality, also meant suicide for the property. Cathy was summoned as the property carried out its internal investigation into the website.
"You know, Cathy, on the one hand, I want to tell everyone that it's no big deal. Go back to work. It's business as usual. But the fact that our associates participated in creating such a website and nobody brought it to our attention sooner, well ... that's one of the reasons you're here," said Terry Kimel, the General Manager of the property.
He seemed distraught and for good reason. The negative reaction this could set off was fatal for everyone involved and needed to be handled as cautiously as possible.
"For more than twenty years, I've held this post and I've never seen anything like this. They keep telling me technology is moving us forward. Bah!" He was agitated, his temples visibly vibrated as he raised his voice. Part of him was furious while the other seemed reminiscent of days when websites were a luxury not misused for creating mischief.
"And we are absolutely certain that Adam started the site?" he asked. He stood up but continued to look down at the paperwork on his desk.
Oliver, the Security Manager nodded. "IT checked and he's been banging on about it every minute of the day. His Twitter account is full of it as well. Gary denied his leave application for the Christmas holidays so this is what he did." The man splayed his hands in frustration. "Damn twit, if you ask me."
"But Cathy, you can issue a statement that this was the act of one employee, no? We have to get the word out that this is not MoonStar practice. We're nearing the deadline for our new room promotions, not to mention the bookings we'll be receiving for the Carnival of Venice. Cancellations of any kind are bound to rock the boat," piped in Pietro the Director of Sales and Marketing.
"Until HR makes a final decision about how they want to deal with Adam, I'll keep telling the press the same thing, ‘We do not discriminate and that this is a time
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