FLIP’S BOYCOTT BY LGBTS STIRS ANGER AND COUNTER ACTION

November 16, 2009

The LGBT Community-driven boycott against Flip’s Wine Bar & Trattoria in OKC has now spread to the restaurant VZDs and possibly the Oklahoma Gazette after a man named Chad Bleakley, who owns VZDs and is the circulation manager for his family’s weekly newspaper, began a counter attack against the social action against a believed injustice. 

Flip’s co-owner Gail Vines, along with five other members of the OKC School Board (Steve Shafer, David Costello, Lyn Watson, Thelma Parks, and Phil Horning), openly defied an August court order that mandated the immediate reinstatement of gay school teacher Joseph Quigley, who a judge found had been wrongfully terminated and bias was involved in his firing. Despite the order from Judge Barbara Swinton, Vines and the others refused to allow Quigley back into the classroom. After Swinton threatened the board with contempt, the board relented and the teacher is back on the job for the time being.

Vines’ business was chosen as a boycott target due to her self-proclaimed support of the LGBT Community and the fact that other school board members lacked an actual business to challenge.   

Those decisions and the several year long history of Quigley’s support for LGBT students led to a group organizing on the social network Facebook to boycott Flip’s for Vines’ vote against a gay man that the court had found to be in the right. After days of talk between gays about boycotting Flip’s, Craig Rauch launched a page in support at Boycott Flip’s that has now surpassed 500 members. Rauch has made no personal attacks against Gail Vines and advised members of the group not to either.

After the effects of the boycott began being felt by the restaurant, several of Vines’ employees, vendors, and friends began a counter boycott that saw several of them trashing the character of Quigley and his competency. Led by Chad Bleakley, the group began libeling Quigley on the Boycott Flip’s Facebook page and attempted to troll the board with their support for Vines and dismissal of the LGBT Community’s feelings. 

Bleakley stated that if the Community is going to boycott Flip’s they would need to go ahead and boycott his restaurant VZDs. It appears the Community is ready to comply with that request.

In one of his posts he said, “This is a an issue of incompetence and lack of professionalism, not a gay rights issue. Quigley does an injustice to those seeking equal protection under the law playing the equivalent of the "race card".”

The focus of Bleakley’s attack, Joe Quigley, is not a part of the boycott, but is being targeted by members of Bleakley’s group despite their assurances it is only to defend Vines. In October Quigley began working at US Grant High School. He chose to discontinue grievances against the district and concentrate on teaching. It is his hope that a resolution can be obtained that stops the district’s excessive legal spending and that will ultimately lead to a compromise that will see LGBT student protections in school policies.

Quigley has made no negative comments against Vines and it’s unknown if he is aware of Bleakley’s attacks on his competency and professionalism.   

The fact of the matter is Judge Swinton found that Quigley had not been incompetent and court records now reflect those findings. In her decision the judge said, “Competent evidence showed that the District failed to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the plaintiff should be dismissed on the grounds of willful neglect of duty, incompetence, repeated negligence in the performance of duty, instructional ineffectiveness, and unsatisfactory performance.” 

With a district court already finding that Quigley was competent and professional, it would be possible for a libel action to be lodged against Bleakley and others for their continued efforts to claim he was a bad teacher.

Bleakley also referred to the boycott as mob rule and assinine.

None of the people involved in countering the LGBT Community’s boycott of Flip’s, seem to have any knowledge of the series of events leading to the court room. They have no knowledge of the long battle or the actual courtroom testimony. 

With the Gazette being largely known for its local restaurant reviews and ad sales, there were being questions asked about a conflict of interest possibility with Bleakley’s involvement. 

In an email Bleakley told Gossip Boy, who had inquired about the Gazette’s relationship with Flip’s and any advertising done by them, “Gail doesn't believe in advertising and to my knowledge has only placed one ad in the 20 or so years of my involvement which was for their 21st anniversary.  I started the group Boycott the Boycott not to oppose the glbt community, but to support Gail and to correct what I feel is a misunderstanding.  I may be naive in your eyes, but am always open to civil discussion. I act on my own and in now way represent the Oklahoma Gazette in this matter. I truly thought I could I could help in the matter.” 

Bleakley did not, however, provide any explanation as to his personal attacks against Quigley. He does say on his counter action Facebook, “I will remove posts that do not forward the cause of civil discourse.”  And later says, “If you want to post such material, you will be in good company on the original "boycott flip's wine bar and trattoria" – the very page in which he went to slur Quigley.

The Gazette’s publisher, Bill Bleakley, has not responded to an email sent to him by us on November 10^th. We have, however, confirmed independently that Flip’s does not advertise in the Gazette and in fact has received a less than sterling review by them, resulting in a rating of 2 out of 5 forks. Reader comments on their Flip’s rating said “worst food ever” and “disappointment”.

Thus far legal expenses in the case have surpassed $100,000 and as the school board continues to fight the court’s decision thousands more in legal fees are accumulating – this during a period where the school district anticipates a multi-million dollar funding shortage for the year.

The Oklahoma City School Board is meeting tonight to discuss a hiring freeze and ways to cut their budget. The fees spent so far in the legal battle could’ve employed three full time teachers for the entire school year. The course of appeals engaged in by the school board are anticipated to continue well into 2010 and force the district to find money they don’t have to keep one gay teacher out of the classroom. 

DISCLOSURE: Gossip Boy staff had stayed out of the fray until Smack columnist Hunter began reading attacks on Quigley and began looking into the backgrounds of those behind the attacks and confronting those with words against the Community and Quigley. It is our policy to support the Community’s action against Flip’s and to honor Mr. Bleakley’s request that his VZDs be added to the boycott. We do not, however, endorse any boycott against the Gazette, as there is no evidence they’re behind the counter action.