Is there a difference between what you say at work vs what you say on your own time? Right or wrong, The dynamic has clearly shifted, as Brandon said. In your example, if my pilot said those things over the intercom, he should expect repercussions. If he's throwing back a few at the bar before our flight, which is where he's more likely to be, most of us probably won't care.
Schilling had previously been disciplined for insensitive comments, and he should have learned his lesson. He was wrong for what he did.
There's another issue at play here, and I kind of hesitate to bring it up. There's a lot of pressure socially for people to be supportive or tolerant of others who live differently (gays, trannies, illegal immigrants, etc.). Failure to also support/tolerate/accept them creates a growing amount of problems for people, and that's at play here in schillings firing.