Tag Archives: sexual harassment

Gay NYC Fireman Sues NYFD Over Sexual Discrimination and Harassment

Gay NYC Fireman Sues NYFD Over Sexual Discrimination and Harassment

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Jason Johnson, a former National Guardsman, filed a federal lawsuit in Manhattan on Monday claiming his hopes of being on an elite FDNY rescue squad were over when his co-workers began suspecting he is gay.

Johnson who made it on a Special Operations Command unit in 2016, only to be kicked off the team several months later following a bizarre crotch-grabbing incident while riding a firetruck, which resulted in Johnson being branded as “gay.”

Via the NY Post:

During the ride — and “while being watched by other firefighters” — firefighter Jason Ribisi, who is now retired, “grabbed Johnson’s penis” in an apparent effort to harass the newcomer, the lawsuit alleges.

Johnson responded by trying to kiss Ribisi in an effort to make him feel “equally uncomfortable,” the suit says, but the maneuver completely backfired.

“For the remainder of the ride, Ribisi and another firefighter made repeated disparaging remarks about Johnson’s perceived homosexual orientation, saying excitedly, ‘You’re gay, you’re gay, we have confirmation!’” according to the suit.

“You weren’t supposed to kiss him. You were supposed to punch him! No straight guy would have kissed him,” another firefighter allegedly said.

The teasing, taunting and harassment continued until Johnson was ultimately removed from the elite rescue unit in March 2017, he says in the suit.

Examples of the harassment alleged in the suit include:

  • Johnson was once photographed without his permission while changing. The picture was doctored to include a thought bubble above Johnson’s head reading “hey boys,” and shared with his squad.
  • After Johnson posted a video on Facebook of himself standing on a street “which happened to have a rainbow flag in the background,” he was subjected to discriminatory comments including, “Now we have official confirmation he is gay,” and “it’s your birthday and you’re a homo.”
  • When Johnson ate salads, his co-workers would say, “only gay guys would order salad.” He began isolating himself to avoid scrutiny, including eating in the bathroom, but that only prompted more teasing including from someone who asked him if he was “shame eating.”
  • When he arrived at work sweaty from jogging or biking to work, his Squad 18 firefighters would make snarky comments, such as “Did you run through west village to say hi to your gay friends?” or “Did it rain outside because you look like you were in a wet t-shirt competition?”

In recent years the FDNY has been the target of numerous lawsuits over discrimination and bullying, 

Gay San Francisco Police Officer Files Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Lawsuit Against SFPD

Gay San Francisco Police Officer Files Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Lawsuit Against SFPD

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Gay San Francisco police officer Brendan Mannix (pictured above), has filed a lawsuit against the SFPD, accusing some of its members of “sexual harassment and sexual discrimination based on his sexual orientation

Via The SF Chronicle:

Mannix said two sergeants at Central Station frequently made comments about his sexual orientation, including calling him a “queen,” “too dramatic” and insulting his masculinity, attorney Lawrence Organ wrote. When he tried to report the behavior, Mannix allegedly faced retaliation, and he said the department didn’t do anything to stop the harassment.

One suggested Mannix was in a sexual relationship with the other gay officer at the station, and when Mannix did or said something the sergeant believed was stereotypically gay, he would say “ugh, you gays!” or “God, you gays!” [attorney L:awrence] Organ said. The sergeant, Organ said, would also mock Mannix’s hair style and physical appearance, making comments like, “Is that hair big enough?!” and “How much do you weigh? One hundred pounds soaking wet?” In one instance, when they discovered a dead body in the water at night, the sergeant told him, “don’t be such a queen,” when Mannix said he was cold, Organ said.

When Mannix confronted two sergeants named in the lawsuit, asking them to stop the harassment and telling them he believed it was motivated by his sexual orientation, they broke out into laughter and mocked him, according to the lawsuit.

One of the sergents allegedly concluded by leaning close into Mannix’s face and saying: “If you think I’m a bully, file a fucking complaint.”

In a city whose most infamous assassin was a homphobic former police officer and firefighter Dan White, you would think there’d be a point of screening officers extra carefully to try to recruit ones without prejudices.

 

Former NYC Firefighter Files Federal Lawsuit After Colleagues Call Him ‘Faggot’ and ‘Closet Homo’ During Hazing

Former NYC Firefighter Files Federal Lawsuit After Colleagues Call Him ‘Faggot’ and ‘Closet Homo’ During Hazing

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A former FDNY firefighter from Queens, has filed a federal lawsuit claiming he was savagely hazed by colleagues.

The lawsuit claims Michael Troina “was singled out time and time again on account of his race and national origin as a Hispanic American male as well as perceived homosexuality . . . [and] was further threatened with physical violence if he dared to report any incident of battery, harassment or discrimination to the FDNY’s Equal Employment Opportunity Office,” 

Via the New York Post.

Troina said his colleagues “tried to coerce” him go to a strip club and “regularly harassed him by encouraging him to have sex with a stripper.” When he refused, he was called “faggot” and “loser,” the suit claims.

Other abuse alleged in Manhattan court papers included:

  • Being forced to “eat orange juice” with a fork from 12 different plates and then wash the plates.
  • Being told “he could not do the job like the other white firefighters” because he is Hispanic.
  • Being called a “closet homo.”
  • Being excluded from a firehouse volleyball outing, where he was later told he was denigrated with homophobic insults.

The lawsuit states that Troina told a lieutenant about the “degrading and discriminatory incident” but the supervisor told him it was “in good fun and to not take it too hard.”

“At first I sloughed it off as ‘I’m the new guy.’ As it kept going on, it got worse,” said Troina.

Michael Troina was fired on Dec. 21, 2016, just seven days before he would have completed probation. The FDNY insists he was canned after a “failed evaluation.”

The lawsuit, brought by attorney Paul Liggieri, seeks unspecified damages. It names the city, the FDNY, nine firefighters, three lieutenants, two chiefs and Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro as defendants.

 

AFA’s Hate Group’s Batshit Bryan Fischer: Al Franken Is Totally Faking His Resignation

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Bryan Fischer writes:

Not only did Al Franken not resign yesterday, it is my prediction that he will never resign. He will not resign until Roy Moore does – and since there is no way Roy Moore is going to do that, there’s no way Al Franken is going to do that either.  All Franken said what he would do is resign “in the coming weeks.” That is a gloriously indefinite time frame. Franken can cram as much of the future into that phrase as he wants.

Immediately after Franken mentioned his resignation at some unknown, unspecified point in the future, he spoke of the “irony” that a president who has a “history…of sexual assault” sits serenely in the Oval Office while Roy Moore, a man who has “repeatedly preyed on young girls,” is still on the ballot in Alabama.

We likely won’t hear from Franken again until December 13, the day after the results of the Alabama Senate race are known. What we will hear from Franken that day will be something like this: “I have offered, in good faith, to tender my resignation as a member of the United States Senate. Roy Moore, as a serial sexual predator, must do the same. In fact, I propose, as a gesture of nobility on my part, that Mr. Moore and I depart the Senate together. I will be happy to resign the same day Roy Moore does. Until then, I ain’t going anywhere.” 

Well lets hop that this is the first thing this hatemonger ever says actually comes true.

British Marine Claims He Was ‘Forced to Masturbate to Gay Porn” As Punishment

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Corporal Danny Foster

 

Corporal Danny Foster, and corporal Philip Beer,  are on trial at Portsmouth Military Court in England for ill-treatment of a subordinate after a lower ranked service member stepped forward and claimed that the two forced fellow marines to watch gay porn and masturbate in front of others as part of a bizarre punishment.

The “punishment” incidents are alleged to have happened between May and August 2014 at Faslane and Coulport naval bases in Argyll.

“You could be punished for anything starting from just leaving a pen lid on the floor up to operational things like not turning on your radio while on patrol. ‘A senior marine would stand at the front and would ask if there were any integrity shouts – which meant you would own up to a mistake you had made.” said one Marine.

According to testimony on the first occasion, there had been a map reading test which was made too hard and so a number of people failed. ‘We got lined up at the front of the room during family time and the corporals, who were at the back, were talking about what they would make us do. ‘They all laughed when Corporal Foster said we should wank to gay porn.  “I told Foster I wasn’t going to do it but he said to me ‘you fucking are’. ‘The porn was military themed porn, the men had berets on and people were watching us – we were told the last person to ejaculate would get another punishment. ‘I felt disgusted and degraded having to do it, it was massively degrading, I had no power against it; I could not say no.’

Foster denies the ill treatment of a subordinate.

 

 

 

 

Fire Island Manager Sued by Former Employees Over “Sexual Harassment”. But……..

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Two twenty-two year old men Joe Rapuano-Novella and Dylan Pace ,are suing the umbrella company Outpost Pines which owns several entertainment and food venues at the gay resort on Fire Island.

Rapuano-Novella and Pace are suing their former manager Mario Priola and owner PJ McAteer for sexual harassment and assault.

The NY Post reports:

He and Pace interviewed in March 2016 for jobs at “The Pines,” an enclave of bars and restaurants which cater primarily to the LGBTQ community, according to their Brooklyn federal court filing.

Rapuano-Novella was “hired on the spot” via Skype during a bizarre interview in which Priola asked him to take off his shirt, the suit says. Pace, a Long Island resident, was asked to report for his interview to Priola’s hot tub on the island, the suit alleges.

Before Rapuano-Novella even got to Fire Island, Priola, who was twice his age, allegedly sent him “inappropriate texts,” noting in one that “you’re perfect” and asking for explicit photos, the suit says.

Rapuano-Novella charges in the suit that Priola repeatedly asked him to sleep over and “groped his penis.”

In addition, Rapuano-Novella claims he was forced to promote live sex shows, which was never discussed as a part of his job description prior to starting employment. (That is a new one on me.)

Wrote Rapuano-Novella on Facebook:

I haven’t yet come forward with my #metoo story because I was waiting for the right moment. A lot of people know I worked on Fire Island last year. My time on the island was abruptly cut short when a series of dark harassments and assaults at the hands of my boss drove me from the place.

So lets get this straight. Well as much as we can.

“Rapuano-Novella was “hired on the spot” via Skype during a interview in which Priola asked him to take off his shirt”  But he still continued wanting the job.

Priola, sent him “inappropriate texts,” noting in one that “you’re perfect” and asking for explicit photos.” BEFORE the job started. But RN still wanted the job.

He was told to “Report to Priola’s hot tub on the island foe his interview.”  And went and still took the job.

Now these are some seriously major red flags Rapuano-Novell  should have noticed.

Look sexual harassment and abuse is a serious problem.  But suddenly the floodgates are open and all kinds of accusations are spilling forth.  Some true and some perhaps not so true.  But with both Rapuano-Novella and Pace being 22 years old and all the warnings that were had before they started the job.  Something just does not seem quite right.

Now I am not saying they are lying or telling the truth.  I am just saying we must all be careful.

As for the live sex shows on Fire Island?   Anyone got the address?

 

 

 

 

 

Gay Hollywood Agent Tyler Grasham Fired After Sexual Assault Allegations

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Two men have have come forward and accused Tyler Grasham a talent agent at APA of sexually assaulting them. 

Via Deadline:

Former child actor Blaise Godbe Lipman, 28, says agent Tyler Grasham assaulted him 10 years ago when he was seeking representation. “Tyler Grasham, under the pretense of a business meeting regarding potential agency representation at APA Agency, fed me alcohol while I was underage and sexually assaulted me,” he wrote Monday on Facebook. 

Lucas Ozarowski, a 27-year-old film and TV editor, says he also was assaulted by Grasham. He said he has contacted Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer with the story and will file a report with the LAPD today.

Lipman posted that the recent revelations about Harvey Weinstein gave him the courage to finally come forward with his story.

“The positive thing about the attention the Weinstein scandal has had, is it’s no longer about Harvey,” he wrote. “The conversation has moved on to the size of this epidemic and how to dismantle the system that protects these predators. And it’s given space and courage for victims to speak up, against their abuse. This is bigger than Weinstein.”

A spokesman for APA Agency confirmed the termination Friday. “Tyler Grasham’s employment has been terminated with APA effective immediately,” 

One employee noted that it “has been a hard few days at the agency,” but they are indeed trying to place Grasham’s clients with other agents inside APA.

LGBT Weekly Publisher Stampp Corbin Accused of Fraud To Help Embattled San Diego Mayor

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Stampp Cobin accused of Fraud

LGBT Weekly publisher Stampp Corbin is being accused of filing a fraudulent recall notice in an effort to keep in office San Diego’s embattled Mayor Bob Filner, who faces allegations of sexual harrasment.  The case against Filner has been brewing since mid-July, when a former member of his administration, Donna Frye, told a news conference there were serious accusations that Filner mistreated women.  Since then six other women have stepped forward accusing Filner of sexual harrasment.

Corbin, who has a history of strong support and close involvement with Filner, surprised the San Diego political world on Thursday, July 25, when he was the first to initiate a recall notice against Filner via a classified ad in the UT San Diego. But many say its a political ploy to actually keep Filner in office.  By triggering the recall process Corbin appears to be taking time away from organizers to mount a proper campaign. And it calls into question whether another recall effort led by land-use consultant Michael Pallamary, who has given Filner until yesterday, July 29, to resign or face a recall petition, can now go forward.

Further complicating matters, Corbin has announced that he will not mount a funded campaign with paid campaign staff to collect signatures, and instead will simply make a copy of the petition available to anyone who stops by his office at LGBT Weekly.

Observers say the biggest risk is that Corbin could walk into the City Clerk’s Office any day with a few signatures, and get the petition rejected automatically. Such a rejection by the City would guarantee six extra months in office for Filner, as city rules prohibit filing of recall petitions against a city official if a petition has failed within the past six months.

According to one  longtime Republican political activist who is friends with Corbin ,  she said they has spoken several times last week and she is convinced that Corbin is playing “Chicago-style politics.”

“He bragged to me that it would be a way to stop the group getting ready to file” their own recall drive, Jester told the UT San Diego. “He said, ‘It occurred to me that it would derail the other group.’”

Corbin has denied the accusations but told 10News San Diego that he did indeed make the statements but was not being serious..

“When you’re two leaders and on opposite sides of the issue and you’re friends, you often make jokes,” said Corbin. “You often make jokes and be inappropriate because it’s fun!”

Michael Pallamary who also wants to mount a recall petition against Filner has given Corbin 24 hours to drop his campaign or he would file a complaint with the District Attorney’s Office, charging him with violations of the state elections code.

Last Friday, The San Diego LGBT Community Center’s board of directors went on record demanding Filner’s resignation and the San Diego Democrats for Equality issued the same demand on Thursday, along with the San Diego Democratic Party and Debbie Wasserman Shultz of the National Democratic Party.

SOURCE:  SDGLN

 

Holier Than Thou Family Research Council Hate Group Sued For Sexual Harrasment

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Well, well, well……..

A former employee is suing the anti-gay hate group the Family Research Council for sexual harassment, citing the sexually suggestive comments of her supervisor.

Moira Gaul worked as director of women’s and reproductive health for the FRC that claims to represent “traditional family values.”  Gaul’s “expertise” is in abstinence-only education. But even in the “socially conservative” organization, the anti-woman sexual rhetoric of her supervisor proved too much for her:

According to court documents first obtained and reported by journalist Evan Gahr, former FRC employee Moira Gaul, 42, filed a complaint in 2009 with the District of Columbia Human Rights Commission in which she accused her supervisor of gender discrimination. She claimed that her boss, the director of the Center for Human Life and Bioethics at the time, referred to the use of birth control pills as “whoring around,” addressed emails to her with the words “hi cutie,” pressured her to attend parties, and referred to her as a “young, attractive woman.”

“His attitude toward me and other women was rude, belittling, and at times, angry,” she wrote in the complaint.

Gaul’s former supervisor and the man charged with the sexual harassment  is prominent anti-abortion lawyer William Saunders, who now works at the anti-abortion group Americans United for Life.

Huffington Post reports that the suit was originally settled back in 2009, FRC fired Gaul shortly after she filed the complaint, citing a loss in federal funding for abstinence — Gaul’s area of expertise — and the need for someone with more experience on abortion issues. Gaul claims the FRC also retroactively canceled her health insurance for the time that she was on short-term disability for systemic lupus.

While the original sexual harassment complaint was settled in July 2009, but Gaul and her attorney, Shannon Stokes, are currently suing the FRC for illegally retaliating against her. The suit claims that Gaul had received excellent reviews and no reprimands at the FRC up until she filed the gender discrimination complaint then the FRC fired her and retroactively canceled her health insurance for the time that she was on short-term disability for systemic lupus.

I’m just gonna reach over here and turn on this Sarcasm sign real quick.

Whaaaaaat? This is unheard of! I’ve never heard of anyone ultra-Christian, ultra-Conservative, or both getting into anything even REMOTELY resembling a sexual harassment scandal.

But honestly, It’s hard to sympathise with anyone who works for these sort of people.  Of course they are going to be misogynistic, dishonest and vindictive.  This is the sharp end of the radical right, where they wear the clothes of God to conceal the darkness in their hearts.  Five minutes in the place and she must have known what sort of people they were.

Lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas baby.. But I do wish you luck in your lawsuit even though I have no pity for you just so you can bankrupt the bastards and take them for all they are worth.

 

Source:  ThinkProgress