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Loading ...Woman tossed from federal building for lesbian t-shirt
08.26.2008 12:39pm EDT
(Van Nuys, California) A Southern California woman was reportedly kicked out of a federal building for wearing a t-shirt that contained the word “lesbian.”
Lapriss Gilbert says she went to the building in Van Nuys on Monday to pick up a Social Security card for her son. But before she could make it to the queue she was stopped by a security guard.Gilbert said she was told that the t-shirt, which bore the words “Lesbian.com,” was offensive. The web site is a popular educational resource for lesbians.
Gilbert told The Contra Costa Times that the guard demanded that she leave the building or face arrest.
“As an African-American and a lesbian, I haven’t been through one day without facing some sort of discrimination…but this is just shocking,” Gilbert, 31, told the newspaper.
The guard was not a government employee but works for Paragon, a private company hired by the Department of Homeland Security.
A spokesperson for the department said the guard’s actions were “inappropriate and unacceptable” and that Paragon had been contacted.
Gilbert and her mother Tanya, who is also a lesbian and a longtime LGBT activist, say they are contacting an attorney. Gilbert told the Times that she may file a federal civil rights lawsuit.
The younger Gilbert called her mother after being escorted out of the building. The mother called police but before officers arrived another Paragon guard told Gilbert she could enter the building and escorted her to the Social Security line.
A witness contacted by The Times backs up Gilbert’s account.
“For her to be told to leave was completely unnecessary, especially considering how peaceful and quiet she was responding the the security officers,” Paul Dumont told the paper. “Nobody in that office felt her t-shirt was offensive by any means.”
In a statement to police, Dumont said the guard’s “loud, unreasonable, aggressive and angry approach to the situation almost caused chaos.”
As evidenced by the gigantic front page image fiasco, this web site continues to experience serious problems since it was redesigned. First there was the layout of the columns and the font size issue, and now there is this ridiculous image size issue. What are poor gay folks with dial-up or gay folks in countries abroad with slow internet connections supposed to do?
“The private sector usually (not always) does a better job then does the public sector. ”
This just isn’t true. There are few areas the private sector has outperformed the public sector, and whenever anything is privatized, the costs go sky high. This country was made great with public works and public participation.
When did it become possible for an employee of a private firm to arrest someone? This is insane. This is NOT America, and should be resisted immediately. Police are controlled by local officials, who are elected and thus answerable to the people. That is how it works in a democracy. Businesses controlling such functions is part of the definition of fascism.
I’m bothered that this woman was treated this way by anyone. But I am even more outraged that an employee of a private firm apparently has a right (I bet he really doesn’t) to arrest someone.
Bush has really messed our country up..
Roger Ramjet Said:”…Demand that ALL Private Security Firms be forbidden from protecting the people’s property!!!!….”
I disagree with that point. The private sector usually (not always) does a better job then does the public sector. I’ve have seen so much government waste while I was in the Army and I have seen it in other government functions. What this one guard did is wrong however, the problem was rectified quickly by another private sector guard. If we were talking about federal employee the victim would have to fight the federal employee’s union et. al. You point about privatization is a red socialist herring and has little to no relevance to the fact that the victim was temporarily denied federal services. The only relevant facts are the actions by the victimizer and the suffering by the victim.
Can I get some help with stupitdity, please? This link is to a blog associated with what I thought was a reputable retailer. It’s gay-bashing all over.
http://www.jrcigarblogs.com/1/2008/08/I-Spy-With-My-Queer-Eye.cfm#comments
Sorry for the interruption.
I was just reading a blog entitled “Is Tinker Bell Causing Homophobia?” on the site ChildOfMind.com . Although the blog begins with talking about some of the excuses people use to justify discrimination against us, it also cites other acts of public discrimination caught up in the media. Most often the news does it’s best to capture shock value stories; consequently, glbt’s are shown in a continual negative light to achieve the almighty dollar without any thought to how we as human beings are affected. Thank you 365 GAY for always being there to give our side of the story!
She needs to sue the pants off them…hit them in the $$$pocket. And wear her shirt every day in court while she does
If this woman was wearing a Crucifix around her neck, or a T-shit saying ‘Got Jesus?’ – Do you think they would have forbid her from entering?
A federal government taken over by hypocritical christian morons for the past 8 years has led to this point in our country’s history.
Bush’s relaxing of the Law, and his elimination of Posse Comitatus Act, has led to the hiring of ‘Private’ security firms to oversee federal functions. This is just the beginning of the recipe of disaster for the US Citizen.
Time to get off our arses and call our congress people. Demand that ALL Private Security Firms be forbidden from protecting the people’s property!!!!
Private Security firms (like Paragon and BlackWater) do not need to follow the same laws as government security officials. They have no code of conduct. Only a handbook from their owner. And who knows what HE/SHE believes in!!!!
Meaning: Shoot first – ask questions later.
Make that call now!
I felt like I was on Dial-up.
Seriously – 7.3 MB for an image of a generic blue T-shirt?
I’m sorry, 365Gay, but you do not need a 7.5 MB image on the front page. Keep the high-resolution 4670×3820 pixel images on your photographic equipment; don’t force me to download them when they’ll be displayed at 287×235 pixels on the page anyway.
It wastes both your and my bandwidth when you do this, and this isn’t the first time it has happened.