Firefighters sue San Diego, claiming harassment in gay pride parade
The firefighters say they were forced to drive their firetruck in the parade and were subjected to lewd comments.
SAN DIEGO — Four San Diego firefighters are suing the city government for damages because they were allegedly sexually harassed while participating involuntarily in the 2007 gay pride parade.
The four say they were ordered to drive their firetruck in the three-hour parade even though firefighters at previous parades had been subjected to catcalls and sexually suggestive comments by parade watchers. The trial begins Monday.
The mandatory participation order was part of a policy by Fire Chief Tracy Jarman, according to the firefighters' attorney. Jarman, a lesbian, marched in the parade, which drew a crowd estimated at 150,000 people to Hillcrest, a neighborhood with a large gay population.
"This is not an anti-gay thing," said Charles LiMandri, the firefighters' attorney. "These guys have served the Hillcrest community for years with dignity and honor. They just feel firefighters should not be forced to participate in a parade where firefighters have been harassed in the past."
City Atty. Michael Aguirre, representing the city and the Fire-Rescue Department, says the firefighters are "required to serve the community without discrimination as to sexual orientation."
Riding on a fire truck during the gay pride parade is no different than other public-relations duties that firefighters do as part of their job such as taking fire trucks to schools, Aguirre argued in a court brief.
But one of the firefighters also alleges that after protesting the parade assignment, he was given an unsatisfactory job rating by a "lesbian battalion chief," LiMandri said.
The four, John Ghiotto, Chad Allison, Jason Hewitt and Alexander Kane, are seeking damages and reimbursement for therapy sessions, as well as attorney's fees. The court papers do not mention a dollar figure, but published reports, based on settlement negotiations, suggest the four are seeking $3 million.
The parade is "a sexually licentious event, where raucous and lewd behavior, conduct and dress is permitted," according to the firefighters' lawsuit.
To buttress that claim, pictures were submitted to the court showing some of the floats in the parade, ridden by men in skimpy clothing. The lawsuit includes a list of the taunts and sexually aggressive comments allegedly hurled at the firefighters.
The four firefighters allege they were ordered to ride their truck in the parade when not enough firefighters volunteered for the duty. Also in the parade were several dozen San Diego officials, police officers and other employees, including the city attorney.
