Alright guys, I'm in shit city right now, and I'm looking for advice or anything.
So, for the past 10 months, I've been working at a science centre in Halifax called Discovery Centre. It was an awesome job that I really enjoyed going to. But, I'm pretty much cooked at this point.
This past Saturday, while working in the gift shop, a mother came in with her two little boys and asked for directions to the nearby candy store. I told her where to go. I told her it was 3 blocks down the street and it's big and colourful and has a big Mr. T in the front window. I also mentioned that there are a bunch of gay fellows working there. That was that.
On Monday, my boss got an email from her saying that she heard me make a derogatory comment about gays. According to her, she heard me say "there are a bunch of stupid gays working there".
I would never say this. I never have, and I never will. But I am in all kinds of shit about this. The entire centre knows. The CEO, the HR people, all my fellow staff members are all aware of this. The lady came in today to back up her word, so she seems to think it's a big deal. I got called in, and I'm on indefinite suspension.
Now, there were a few coworkers around that my boss has yet to gain a testimony of what happened from, so I won't get contacted about this until later in the week, but I can't see this ending well. The way I see this going is one of a few ways. It either plays out that:
A) I prove myself innocent, and they let me stay.
B) I prove myself innocent, but they see me now as a liability to the centre, and let me go
C) I am unable to prove myself innocent, and they let me go
I'm not too thrilled about any of these options. If A occurs, then I'll be left with a permanent blemish, and have to go around to every single staff member, and gradually win myself back into good graces. However, now if I say anything ever, I'm in hot shit. If I joke around with a kid, or make the smallest mistake, I'm done.
Right now, I'm looking for a new job, but I really need the Discovery Centre as a reference. I worked there for almost a year, and it's reference gold if I want to get into any sort of customer service job. If they give me a reference, let me go, and choose to forget about the whole homophobia scandal, then I'll be content and I'll go amicably. However, I'm concerned that they won't give me anything, considering how big of a deal this is on the centre, and the repercussions of pandering to someone in the middle of this ordeal by giving them something they need. The centre is fearing legal troubles on both sides. If they let me stay, or let me go, but give me a severance package or a reference, the woman who is accusing me is liking going to light a fire. She could bring this to the newspapers, or sue the centre. However, if they don't give me what I'm legally entitled to after letting me go, then they are worried about me suing them for wrongful dismissal and violation of workers rights.
This whole thing is very overwhelming. I sure as hell am not staying there after this is done, but I have to worry about both how I need to handle these slanderous accusations, and also how I legally want to handle my inevitable dismissal. Any suggestions on either front?