Friday, March 17, 2006

Lesbian Sues Fire Dept. Chief Over Bias

(Link) The kicker? The Fire Department Chief is her ex-girlfriend. Grab the popcorn and let the dyke drama unfold!
Posted by at

1 comment:

LNewsEditor said...

JIC Post:
From PlanetOut Network

A lesbian firefighter in Minneapolis filed a discrimination suit Tuesday against the city's fire chief, a woman who happens to be the firefighter's former domestic partner.

Capt. Jennifer Cornell sued in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis against Chief Bonnie Bleskachek, naming the city as a co-defendant, the Pioneer Press newspaper reported.

Cornell claims Bleskachek denied her training opportunities and stood in the way of her advancement through "a history of animosity, ill-will, malice and bad faith conduct," the paper reported. The suit seeks an end to discrimination and $75,000 in damages.

The case puts Mayor R.T. Rybak, who appointed Bleskachek as chief in November 2004, in a potentially difficult political situation. Both Rybak and Bleskachek have refused comment, the mayor saying through a spokeswoman that he cannot comment on ongoing litigation.

Bleskachek, one of the nation's few openly gay fire chiefs, oversees a staff of 450 and a budget of $43 million.

The lawsuit also claims that Bleskachek was violent toward Cornell during their relationship. They were domestic partners from 1996 to 2001 and share custody of two children, the paper reported.

Bleskachek and Cornell co-founded the Minnesota Women Firefighters Association.

3/17/2006 11:27 AM

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)