Subscribe to Breaking News
Loading ...San Diego appeals firefighter Gay Pride ruling
03.25.2009 1:54pm EDT
(San Diego, California) The city of San Diego will appeal a jury verdict that found four San Diego firefighters were sexually harassed for being ordered to participate in a gay pride parade and awarded them combined damages of $34,300.
City Council voted 7-0 in a closed session to file the appeal.The firefighters – Alex Kane, Chad Allison, Capt. John Ghiotto and Capt. Jason Hewitt – claimed they were subjected to sexually charged conduct and lewd comments while riding a fire engine in the July 2007 parade, which drew about 150,000 spectators.
The firefighters’ attorney, Charles LiMandri, said during his closing argument that his clients were targets of vulgar gestures and catcalls while being forced to watch barely clothed men and women simulate sex acts and touch themselves and one another.
“The Fire Department knew what goes on there,” LiMandri told the jury. The jury deliberated for nearly three days in reaching its decision last month.
This was the second trial on the firefighters’ claims. In October, jurors were unable to reach a verdict.
LiMandri requested up to $1 million for each client at the first trial. He didn’t propose specific damages at the second trial.
A crew that volunteered to ride a fire engine pulled out shortly before the parade because the captain’s mother died. LiMandri told the jury that department supervisors didn’t try to find other volunteers, but gave the assignment to the crew in the city’s Hillcrest area, home to a large gay population where the parade is held.
The firefighters’ attorney argued that his clients objected but weren’t taken seriously. The city said the firefighters expressed discomfort but didn’t complain of sexual harassment at the time.
Deputy City Attorney Don Shanahan had argued that the firefighters weren’t satisfied after Chief Tracy Jarman apologized and promised to change the department’s policy and use only volunteers in the parade.
“The department bent over backwards,” Shanahan told jurors.
The firefighters must’ve been dressed w/ cleavage and wild intentions. Clearly they were asking for it. They shouldn’t have been somewhere unsafe if they didn’t want to get sexed up. They were asking for it.
Join the march for Human Rights on October 11, 2009.[Washington, DC] Its time for us to so our pride and make public our views. Give us our ‘Rights’.
If not, then we strike.
There’s two ironies to this story. First for thousands of years Men have embodied this behavior towards women unchecked and unquestioned. They got a taste of their own medicine. Second, it’s shameful and sad that “pride parades” are unfortunately filled with hyper-stereotypical behaviors, dysfunction and downright dirty content, all cast under the guise of some higher and justified purpose. I’ve experienced several and find the overtly sexual overtones and undertones disgusting and offensive. Where’s the pride in promoting sex, alcohol, utter hedonsim, and promsicuity? Shame on any people who exhibit this kind of behavior at any time, in any place.
Jessica,
Is that the best you could come up with? Sweetie, do yourself a favour and learn some morals. There’s nothing wrong with being normal, practicing some form of self restraint and self respect. What went on at this parade is just one of the reasons Prop 8 will stand. What do you (and people like you) have against being responsible, normal and respectable human beings? I know how the word “mainstream” in the gay community is an inflamitory word, but come on…
Wayne,
Your myspace link tells it all. I always thought that you were a republican shill and after looking at your page I was right.
Things on you site:
What celeb. do you most look like? Geo. Bush! Of course that could happen to anyone so I offer my condolences.
What president are you most like? Why Ronald Reagan! Oh, and he is your hero too.
TV, Well FOX of course! Bill & Sean…
You are the Gay, Anti-gay. Probably self lothing also.
What hasn’t been noted (except perhaps in passing) is that LaMandri is a principal in the Thomas More Law Center, the Roman Catholic equivalent of the ragingly homophobic American Center for Law and Justice.
I’m QUITE sure the firemen were RECRUITED for this lawsuit, and that Reich (sic) Wing interests are paying their legal fees.
That said, I myself have witnessed some pretty appalling HOMOPHOBIC behavior on the part of San Diego police, firefighters, and paramedics over the years, and I have ALWAYS lived in or near the gay ghetto.
Things have improved, but there’s still a LONG way to go.
These “men” are an embarassment. Big tough firefighter scared the hairdresser might look at him? EWWWWWW! I have a couple of funny feelings. One, I wonder if some wacked-out antigay group (Alliance Defense Fund?) is involved in this. Two, is this part of some effort at scamming the city of San Diego for early retirement? Mind you, thanks to a minor accounting problem which came to a head before the property bubble burst, San Diego came into this recession practically bankrupt. And these firefighters are lookin’ for a payout. Any chance some of them were/are low enough in seniority that they thought they might be laid off, and this was just a pre-emptive measure?
These guys weren’t harassed. They found out that gay men can be pigs just like str8 men can. A REAL man would suck it up and take that ego boost from being appreciated, whether it makes him hard or not. But it looks like we’re talking about boys, not men. They’re an embarassment to the Fire Department.
Since these 4 firemen work in a area that is highly populated by gays and lesbians , the dept. should probably have them all be evaluated to see if the severe trama of the parade has effected their ability to preform their jobs effectivley when it comes to putting out a fire at a gay or lesbian residence in the future .