 |
Gay Cop
Sues Force
For
Alleged Discrimination
by
365Gay.com from the Web, November 27, 2005
|
| |
|
Trenton, NJ Nov.26 -- A
Washington Township police officer has filed an employment discrimination suit
against the force claiming nothing was done to stop harassment against him by
his fellow officers.
Michael Kurz says that shortly after he came out in confidence to a close friend
on the force the trust was broken and the fact he is gay became common
knowledge.
Shortly after that, his suit says, he became the brunt of insults and jokes
making it difficult for him to interact with other officers.
Kurz, a 10 year veteran of the force, says that when he complained to his
superiors they promised an internal investigation but, in seven months nothing
has come of it.
His suit, filed in Superior Court names the township as the sole defendant.
The suit alleges that in 2002, during a briefing, Cpl. Frank Gurcsik, a
supervisor was discussing the use of disinfectant hand wipes to prevent the
spread of blood-borne pathogens, such as hepatitis and HIV.
Gurcsik, according to the suit, said, "Hey Mikey, these are for professional use
only!"
The court filing also said that in March, during a briefing on emergency lights
on civilian vehicles, another officer asked, "Are homosexual cops going to be
allowed to have rainbow light bars?"
The lawsuit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, as well as a
court order requiring the police department to address his allegations.
In an interview with the Courier-Post Kurz said the lawsuit is not about money.
"I'm very, very happy with who I am," he told the paper. "I know for a
fact there are people out there who are just like me and they'd like to have
some sort of affirmation that if they come out of the closet and something goes
haywire, they have some protection through the courts.
"I want to be a model for every other guy in South Jersey who's closeted in a
police department."
Township officials have declined to comment on the suit.
|
