Gay Man Claims He Was Wrongfully Terminated By Rev. Jesse Jackson

[Freddie Stubbs]

Source: Huffington Post

In a document filled with stunning allegations, Tommy R. Bennett has filed a complaint with the City of Chicago Commission on Human Relations against the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr., and the minister's Chicago-based organization, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, claiming, among other things, harassment and termination on the basis of Bennett's sexual orientation.

Rev. Jackson has a long record of support for LGBT rights, including during his runs for U.S. president and his speech at the LGBT March on Washington in 1987. This is believed to be the first time an allegation has come forward claiming he was involved in sexual orientation harassment and discrimination.

In the complaint, Bennett--who worked at the Rainbow Coalition from July 11, 2007 through Dec. 23, 2009, as the national director of community affairs--says that his sexual orientation was known throughout the workplace primarily because of his side job: being "Aruba Tommy" on the nationally syndicated radio talk program The Tom Joyner Morning Show.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/14/gay-man-claims-he-was-wro_n_849439.html

[ejbr]

1. Those are some f&cked up

allegations. If true, it sounds like Jesse was trying to get him to quit.

[xchrom]

2. wow -- not news i expected to see. nt

[Freddie Stubbs]

3. Reality is often stranger than fiction

[No Elephants]

4. We don't know yet what "reality" is, though--and we may never know.

[Freddie Stubbs]

5. Of course. Unless there is some corroboration, it will be little more than "he said, he said"

[No Elephants]

8. I do not belittle that kind of evidence (f sworn and assessed by a judge or jury)

because in many cases, esp. those involving alleged improper sexual conduct, that is the only possible kind of evidence. Few employers nowadays proposition an employee in front of witnesses, for example.

However, this is not only a sexual harassment or a rape case, but an employment discrimination case in which other evidene should be available, by the guy's own account.

That said, even corroboration does not necessarily equal "reality." People lie, misremember, don't notice accurately in the first place, etc.

ETA "only"

[Maine-ah]

7. always three sides to a story.

[WatsonT]

6. Oh this should get interesting

[Zorra]

9. I'm taking this with a grain of salt for now.

I have been an "employer". I had a staff member that was of questionable character and emotional stability, who chronically lied about various issues to compensate for lack of responsibility. This person gave me all kinds of unreasonable problems. This person was the classic "disgruntled employee".

The rest of the staff was awesome beyond words. None of them liked the staff member mentioned above, and they all told me so.

I am not saying that what Mr. Bennett is alleging is not true. These allegations are awful and need to be addressed. If they are true, Rev. Jackson should retire from public service.

If it is not true, this is a smear job that will always cause suspicion about Rev. Jackson's character.

I sincerely hope that the Huffington Post researched this information thoroughly before they published it.

(I thoroughly understand how prevalent GLBTphobia is throughout American culture, so please don't attack me as a GLBTphobe because I wrote this)