SGN December 20, 2019 - Section 1

Celebrating 45 Years!

Issue 51 Volume 47

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Pacific Musicworks’ ¡Navidad! Christmas concert SEC 2 PG 1

Mrs. Doubtfire at The 5th Avenue Theatre SEC 2 PG 1

Seattle Gay News S E AT T L E ’ S L G B T Q N E W S & E N T E R TA I N M E N T W E E K LY

Mayor Durkan’s opposition Jayapal statement on House passage of articles to proposed HHS rule of impeachment against President Donald J. Trump

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan – Photo courtesy of the Seattle Office of the Mayor

SEATTLE (December 19, 2019) – Below is a letter the mayor sent to Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, voicing the City of Seattle’s opposition to a proposed federal rule that would allow adoption groups to discriminate against LGBTQ families:

“Dear Secretary Azar: “This letter serves to provide comment on changes to 45 C.F.R.§§75.300 proposed by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and published in the Federal Register on November 19, 2019.

see DURKAN page 5

U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal – Photo by Andrew Harnik / AP

WASHINGTON, DC (December 18, 2019) – US Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), a member of the House Judiciary Committee and co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, issued the following statement after the House passed HR 755, Articles of Impeachment against President Donald J. Trump:

“Today was a day of accountability. It was a day for defending our democracy.

“By inviting foreign interference in our elections, President Trump corrupted our democracy and violated the Constitution. By leveraging critical, congressio-

see IMPEACHMENT page 6

Performer Beyonce Black Jayapal joins colleagues to introduce St. James vilified by media, subjected to threats Green New Deal for public housing after performance at homelessness conference

Beyonce Black St. James – Photo courtesy of the artist

SEATTLE (December 17, 2019) – Beyonce Black St. James, a performer and Black transgender woman, has been inundated with forms of sexual harassment, doxxing (a targeted form of cyberbullying that releases an individual’s private information to the public), and threats from

white nationalists due to vilification in media coverage regarding her performance at the All Home Homelessness System Conference in Seattle on Monday, December 9, 2019.

see ST. JAMES page 5

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – Photo by Erin Scott / Reuters

WASHINGTON, DC (December 5, 2019) – US Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, joined House and Senate colleagues in introducing sweeping affordable housing legislation that would invest $180 billion over ten years to retrofit and repair

dilapidated public housing stock, [create] new jobs, [green] infrastructure, and [improve] the living conditions of vulnerable communities frequently on the front lines of the climate crisis.

see GREEN NEW DEAL page 6

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Celebrating 45 Years!

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Important news from Three Dollar Bill Cinema

Ben McCarthy – Photo courtesy of Three Dollar Bill Cinema

SEATTLE (December 19, 2019) – With both sadness and gratitude, the Three Dollar Bill Cinema board of directors announces that Ben McCarthy has decided to move on from his role as executive director. He has moved back to the East Coast to pursue other opportunities in the arts and to be closer to his family. We thank Ben for his work with and dedication to Three Dollar Bill Cinema and wish him the best of luck in his new endeavors.

A message from Ben: “It has been my absolute honor to serve Three Dollar Bill Cinema as executive director for the past one and a half years.

My decision to leave this beloved organization and a job I loved was not an easy choice but a bittersweet one, [to move] closer to my family in North Carolina. I am excited for Three Dollar Bill’s future as it enters its 25th anniversary of the Seattle Queer Film Festival in 2020, and I know great things are ahead. I look forward to continuing to observe and support the organization and the festivals and help where I can from the East Coast.”

At the same time, we are thrilled to announce that Kathleen Mullen has accepted the role of interim executive director. Kathleen has served as the festival

Kathleen Mullen – Photo courtesy of Three Dollar Bill Cinema

director for the Seattle Queer Film Festival in 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019.

Kathleen has contributed to the planning, film programming, and execution of film festivals and art organizations nationally and internationally for over twenty years. She has worked with the Vancouver Latin American Film Festival, the DOXA Documentary Film Festival, the Whistler Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival, Hot Docs, the Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival, and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Mullen holds a Masters of Fine Arts in film production from York University. She has written and

directed a number of short films including Button OUT!, you wash my skin with sunshine, and Sleep Lines, as well as the award-winning mid-length documentary Breathtaking. She is a dual citizen of the US and Canada.

Kathleen is excited to take on this role with Three Dollar Bill Cinema’s for the 25th anniversary year of the Seattle Queer Film Festival. She welcomes your questions, comments or hello messages. She can be reached at kathleen@threedollarbillcinema.org.

Courtesy of Three Dollar Bill Cinema

KVRU welcomes Luzviminda Uzuri “Lulu” Carpenter as new station manager

Lulu Carpenter – Photo by Carlos Imani Photography

KVRU 105.7 FM is pleased to announce that Luzviminda Uzuri “Lulu” Carpenter, also known as #LuluNation, has joined the staff as Station Manager. Carpenter is an educator, arts producer, grassroots and policy change organizer, and media justice advocate.

As an educator, she teaches performance and media arts at Seattle Girls’ School and works with organizations such as YouthCare, YouthSource, and Franklin High School. Her grassroots and policy organizing work includes founding and directing the Alphabet Alliance of Color and serving as Co-Chair of the City of Seattle LGBTQ Commission. In the arts, she has collaborated with On the Boards as a cultural ambassador, worked as an Operations Manager for Washington Hall, and directed the Ladies First monthly arts and music show, a project of Communities Against Rape and Abuse (CARA), to bring national and international artists to Seattle.

Carpenter is also known for her live broadcast and podcast show #LuluNation + Crew with Mr. B at Hollow Earth Radio, where she talks to community members working to change the world through art, music, and activism. She says, “I am thrilled to further advocate for community radio as the new KVRU manager. My heart is dedicated to providing access to radio, media, and technology to communities whose voices

need to be heard. I love being at the intersections of all my communities and building pathways to knowledge.”

Carpenter’s work has been recognized in the following places, among others: PechaKucha Seattle: #BlackLivesMatter “Examining Identity in the 21st Century”, New FM Hyperlocal Radio, and Women Who Rock. Her work was also highlighted in Seattle Weekly cartoons by E.T. Russian.

For more information about KVRU or SEEDArts, contact Kathy Fowells: kfowells@seedseattle.org or 206-760-4286. To schedule an interview with Lulu Carpenter, please contact her directly: lulu@kvru.org or 206-496-1180.

About KVRU 105.7 FM Rooted in Southeast Seattle, KVRU 105.7 FM broadcasts the diverse voices of the community – providing a platform to share stories, discuss issues, and empower listeners to create a more equitable and just society. KVRU is a program of SEEDArts and the broadcast license is owned by SouthEast Effective Development (SEED).

Learn more at kvru.org.

Courtesy of KVRU 105.7FM

Visit us online at www.sgn.org 4 Seattle Gay News

December 20, 2019

Celebrating 45 Years!

DURKAN

continued from cover “The City of Seattle is deeply committed to the civil rights of all people, including our lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and transgender (LGBTQ) neighbors and community members. We believe that all people should be able thrive at work, at home, and in their communities. This belief is furthered by broad local civil rights laws that forbid discrimination based on gender identity, sexual orientation, and religion, in addition to race and other protected traits.

“We strongly oppose the HHS proposal to remove an existing regulation that names gender identity, sexual orientation, and religion as protected classes, because it will enable taxpayer-funded discrimination of LGBTQ individuals and religious minori-

ST. JAMES

continued from cover Ms. St. James was recruited to speak at the conference to bring awareness to the struggles faced by transgender women of color, who face incredibly high rates of homelessness, discrimination, and violence. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s 2018’s hate crimes data found that there has been a 34% increase in hate-based attacks on transgender persons between 2017 and 2018.

Prior to her drag performance, Ms. St. James volunteered her time with a cultural presentation as a featured speaker; additionally, she took the precaution of getting her performance approved by conference organizers and providing numerous

ties, make it harder for foster children to find homes and supportive families, and may harm LGBTQ youth, who comprise a significant percentage of children in the foster care system or experiencing homelessness.

“At a time when over 400,000 youth are in foster care, we should be focused on creating more opportunities for families to adopt and raise children. LGBTQ families are present in and strengthen our communities, our places of worship and our workplaces. They also play a crucial role in getting children out of the foster care system.

“Excluding LGBTQ people from adopting will create more barriers to placing children in supportive homes and significantly reduce the resources available to children and youth. It will weaken families and communities.

“This rule will also be detrimental to LGBTQ youth, who are overrepresented

in the foster care system and are much more likely than their straight or cisgender counterparts to experience homelessness.

[Price, C., Chanchan, D., Wheeler, C., Seip, N., & Rush, J. (Eds.). (2019). “At the Intersections: A collaborative report on LGBTQ youth homelessness.” (2nd Edition) True Colors United and the National LGBTQ Task Force. https://truecolorsunited.org/ wp- content/uploads/2019/04/2019-At-theIntersections-True-Colors-United.pdf] “ LGBTQ youth in foster care or unstable housing are often escaping violence, rejection, or abuse, and require health care and wraparound services in addition to a stable environment to call home. This rule change increases the likelihood that LGBTQ youth will be denied the care and services they need to survive and thrive.

“The City of Seattle urges HHS to strike the proposed rule to eliminate protections

for LGBTQ individuals. This proposal will allow HHS grant recipients, including those that provide services for HIV prevention, elder care, homelessness, and most critically, adoption and foster care placement to prioritize their religious beliefs over the well-being of children in need, by refusing services to LGBTQ individuals or religious minorities. LGBTQ families and religious minorities play a critical role in providing stable, loving homes to foster children, and should be treated equally by governmentfunded service providers.

“Sincerely, “Jenny A. Durkan, Mayor of Seattle”

announcements about her performance to conference attendees.

“Drag is an art of resistance and survival for the queer and trans community,” explained United Territories of Pacific Islander Alliance (U.T.O.P.I.A.) in the organization’s open letter to King County Leaders. “It highlights our resilience and celebrates our bodies amidst the hate and violence we face. For so many of us who face employment and housing discrimination, this art is often connected to our livelihood.

We use this art to celebrate our bodies that are often seen as immoral by those who continue to police our expressions. This art allows [us] to control our queer and trans narratives and reclaim our power.”

However, media outlets have criticized Ms. St. James’ performance at the conference while publicly “outing” her – sharing

her gender identity without confirmation or permission – and putting her at considerable risk. The media, as well as those harassing Ms. St. James online, have intentionally focused on her gender identity and race rather than her achievements and her powerful story of overcoming struggles in the face of unyielding oppression. Unfortunately, this is a common tactic rooted in “transmisogynoir,” or the intersections of transphobia, anti-Blackness, and sexism, uniquely faced by Black transgender women.

This salacious media coverage further perpetrates the harm and reflects the racist trope that Black bodies are harmful and dangerous to white communities. This year alone more Black and Brown trans women have been murdered than ever reported before, with Out Magazine’s 2019 Obituary

Project reporting 22 Trans women of color as victims of murder this year alone.

The Protecting Black Transfemmes Task Force, the Trans Women of Color Solidarity Network, UTOPIA, the Lavender Rights Project, the Ingersoll Gender Center, QLaw, and many others who are supporting Ms. St. James are outraged at the continued attack on a member of our community – and, specifically, a Black transgender woman who has committed her life to fighting for the rights of others.

We will not sit idly by while our beloved community member is being attacked. #istandwithbeyonceblackstjames

Courtesy of the Seattle Office of the Mayor

Courtesy of the Lavender Rights Project

Subtle warning signs of dehydration during winter months ALEXANDRIA, VA (December 19, 2019) – Winter is here, and if you can see your breath in the cold, dry air – that’s water leaving your body. Maintaining adequate hydration at this time of year is tricky because the warning signs of dehydration can be subtle, says the International Bottled Water Association.

This is why it’s important to maintain good, healthy hydration habits year-round by regularly consuming water – from the tap, filtered, or bottled.

“Other than exhaling water vapor, moisture loss from the body isn’t very noticeable during the winter months,” says IBWA Vice President of Communications Jill Culora.

“People don’t notice sweat nearly as much at this time of year, as it evaporates quickly in drier winter air, and performing the same, normal, everyday activities without consuming water can lead to mild dehydration.”

“A 1-2 percent loss in body water can affect a person’s mood, energy level, and mental awareness, and yet they might not realize that dehydration is making them feel this way. A simple glass of water can help with mood, energy, and cognition.

“In the winter, people are less likely to feel thirsty, so it’s important to be mindful about regularly consuming water in order to stay well-hydrated throughout the day,” says Culora. “If you drink a lot of water during the summer, that’s a good habit you should maintain during the colder months of the year.”

During the holiday season bottled water provides the perfect beverage choice for party hosts and guests who want to avoid or moderate calories, caffeine, sugar, artificial colors or flavors, alcohol, and other ingredients.

Whether as a replacement for high-calorie beverages or as an alternative to alcoholic beverages for guests and designated drivers, bottled water offers consumers a refreshing, hydrating, and convenient beverage that provides consistent safety, quality, and good taste. And with the variety of

bottled water is an excellent healthy hydration choice for those trying to stay hydrated or avoiding calories, caffeine, sugar intake, artificial colors, or flavors and other ingredients,” says Culora. “Consumers continue to increasingly choose refreshing, healthy, hydrating, and convenient beverages such as bottled water that provide consistent safety, quality, and good taste.”

More information about bottled water can be found at www.bottledwater.org.

types available – from spring and purified, to mineral, to sparking bottled water – consumers have many choices to suit their specific needs and occasions.

Drinking adequate amounts of water also helps your skin, as the cold leaves it dry and parched.

Hydration at night also remains critical.

During overnight sleep, a person can lose as much as a pound of weight due to sweating and exhaling water vapor (www.npr.org/ sections/krulwich/2013/06/19/193556929/ every-night-you-lose-more-than-a-poundwhile-youre-asleep-for-the-oddest-reason).

Going to bed even mildly dehydrated

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can disrupt your sleep, according to the National Sleep Foundation. “Dehydration causes your mouth and nasal passages to become dry, setting you up for sleep-disruptive snoring and a parched throat and hoarseness in the morning. And a lack of pre-bed fluids can also lead to nocturnal leg cramps that may keep you awake. In addition to the frustration of fragmented sleep, being dehydrated during night can compromise your alertness, energy, and cognitive performance the following day.” (sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/the-connection-between-hydration-and-sleep) “Like at any other point during the year,

December 20, 2019

The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) is the authoritative source of information about all types of bottled waters, including spring, mineral, purified, artesian, and sparkling. Founded in 1958, IBWA’s membership includes US and international bottlers, distributors and suppliers. IBWA is committed to working with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates bottled water as a packaged food product, to set comprehensive and stringent standards for safe, highquality bottled water products. In addition to FDA regulations, IBWA member bottlers must adhere to the IBWA Bottled Water Code of Practice, which mandates additional standards and practices that in some cases are more stringent than federal and state regulations. A key feature of the IBWA Bottled Water Code of Practice is a mandatory annual plant inspection by an independent, third-party organization.

The IBWA is proud to be a partner with Keep America Beautiful and a supporter of Drink Up, an initiative of former First Lady Michelle Obama and the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), which encourages Americans to drink more water more often – whether from the tap, a filter, or in a bottle. Choosing water is always the healthy choice.

Courtesy of the IBWA

Seattle Gay News 5

U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal – Photo by Saul Loeb / Getty Images

IMPEACHMENT continued from cover

nally appropriated aid to a fragile, foreign ally for personal gain, President Trump betrayed our national security and violated the Constitution. By obstructing the House from doing our job, President Trump put himself above the law and violated the Constitution. Impeachment is a rarely used remedy, designed to guard against the most egregious abuses of power. Donald Trump’s abuse of power and obstruction of Congress so clearly warrants its use.

“Our democracy derives its power not from the bloodlines of monarchs but from the votes of ‘We, the People.’ It only works if ‘We, the People’ summon the courage to vigorously protect and renew its promise.

GREEN NEW DEAL continued from cover

The Green New Deal for Public Housing Act, led by Rep. Alexandria OcasioCortez (NY-14) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), would invest up to $180 billion over ten years to electrify buildings, add solar panels, and secure renewable energy sources for all public housing energy needs.

The bill dramatically improves living conditions for nearly two million people living in roughly one million public homes and eliminates carbon emissions in our federal public housing.

“The Green New Deal for Public Housing Act is an environmental justice bill that leads with equity. This is an important first, concrete step to solving our global climate

6 Seattle Gay News

That is the history of our nation: courageous patriots who fought for independence and gifted us the United States Constitution – courageous patriots like Harriet Tubman, who escaped slavery and led others to safety through the Underground Railroad, and courageous patriots like Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and Rep. John Lewis, who stood up on the Edmund Pettus Bridge and secured civil rights for all. These patriots all rose to the awesome responsibility given to all of us by the Founders to protect our democracy.

“This moment in our history is a test. It is a test of the vision of our framers, the resilience of our Constitution, and the character and patriotism of our elected officials. Today, we summoned the courage to answer this test and voted to impeach Donald J. Trump.

“As I cast my own vote, I thought of my

oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America. I thought of my parents – who put an ocean between them and their 16-year-old child because they believed America was worth it. I thought of the responsibility I have to my own beloved child and future generations to ensure America continues to be worth it.

“Mine was not a vote against any person – it was a vote for the Constitution and for ‘We, the People.’ Because I believe America is so deeply worth it.

“The Senate must now conduct a serious, fair trial. The graveness of the moment our nation finds itself in – and the American people – demand it. It would be an affront to our Framers and the Constitution and disrespectful to the American people if Mitch McConnell puts on a sham trial. History and the American people are watching.”

Ahead of today’s historic vote, Jayapal delivered remarks on the House Floor.

Those remarks are [at https://jayapal.house. gov/2019/12/18/jayapal-delivers-remarkson-house-floor-ahead-of-historic-voteto-impeach-president-donald-j-trump/].

Last week, Jayapal announced her intention to vote for the Articles of Impeachment against President Trump during the House Judiciary Committee’s markup of the Articles. Those remarks are [at https:// jayapal.house.gov/2019/12/12/jayapalvotes-for-articles-of-impeachment-againstpresident-donald-j-trump/]. When she voted in Committee to send the Articles of Impeachment to the full House for consideration, Jayapal held up her copy of the US Constitution.

crisis by prioritizing and investing in affordable housing for vulnerable low-income and very low-income people,” Rep. Jayapal said. “It would invest in a sustainable energy future and make long overdue improvements to our public housing stock, all while employing residents of those homes.

Addressing inequities in housing and labor are critical to tackling the climate crisis and ensuring an equitable future for all.”

About 40% of total US energy consumption is attributable to residential and commercial buildings. With its focus on transforming one million units of federally owned housing, the Green New Deal for Public Housing Act will spur economies of scale for weatherization, retrofitting, and renewable energy, making them more cost effective and attractive throughout the country. The legislation is expected to create nearly 250,000 good-

paying, union jobs per year across the country while reducing carbon emissions on the scale of taking 1.2 million cars off the road over the next ten years. Public housing costs would also be reduced by $97 million per year, or 30%, and energy costs would be slashed by $613 million, or 70%.

The legislation envisions a federal-state partnership, creating new grant programs to swiftly and efficiently transition public housing, tribal housing, and Native Hawaiian housing to zero-carbon, energy-efficient housing. The bill creates sustainable communities for families by building new childcare and senior centers, expanding access to clean transit, and creating community gardens and other community amenities. Under the legislation, public housing will receive deep energy retrofits, build community-generated renewable electric-

ity, and upgrade unsafe and unsanitary infrastructure, including buildings’ water and electrical systems.

The Green New Deal for Public Housing Act requires that the hundreds of thousands of jobs created by this investment be high-road, family-sustaining jobs by requiring strong labor standards, prevailing wages, and “Buy America” requirements.

Public housing residents will lead the decision-making process for these investments and receive jobs training for the newly created jobs from this legislation.

Read the legislative text [at http://bit. ly/34DZop9].

Read a section-by-section overview [at http://bit.ly/2ECfViG].

December 20, 2019

Courtesy of Rep. Pramila Jayapal

Courtesy of Rep. Pramila Jayapal

Celebrating 45 Years!

Publisher’s Note: From “The American Superhero Project” by famed local photographer Nate Gowdy. Nate is taking pictures of everyday heroes posed in Captain America garb.

SGN is pleased to start this coverage with U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, from our very own 7th Congressional District. – Photo by Nate Gowdy / The American Superhero Project

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Seattle Gay News 7

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December 20, 2019

Celebrating 45 Years!

St. Patrick’s Catholic Church Welcomes LGBTQ Community Members!

St. Patrick’s Church is a welcoming, evolving Catholic Church located at the north end of Capitol Hill, 2702 Broadway E. We embrace all people as children of God and would like to invite LBGTQ community members to worship with us.

As a parish, we have a strong emphasis on social justice and inclusion.

This includes outreach to a women’s shelter, a supportive relationship with a faith community in El Salvador, weekly sign language interpreted Mass for the deaf and deaf-blind community, and welcoming developmentally disabled adults from the L’arche community.

Our choir and dance troupe are an integral part of our expression.

Please consider joining us on December 24 for one of our Christmas Eve services at 5pm (youth participation through dance) or at 9 pm.

There will be community Christmas caroling ½ hour before each service.

St. Patrick’s celebrates every Sunday at 10:30 am.

We look forward to welcoming you to St. Patrick's!

2702 Broadway E. Seattle, WA 98102 · www.stpatrickseattle.org

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December 20, 2019

Celebrating 45 Years!

SCOTUS declines to hear appeal of homeless rights OKs camping in public places

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer The US Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal on homeless rights on December 16, leaving in place a lower court ruling allowing people to sleep on the sidewalk or in public parks if no other shelter is available.

The high court made is decision to pass on the appeal from city officials in Boise, Idaho, without comment and with no recorded dissents.

The court is not obligated to hear any appeal but will take up a case if at least four of the nine justices vote to do so.

The case will now return to the US District Court in Boise for review.

“It’s a good day,” said Eric Tars, legal director for the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, which joined other legal advocates on the case.

“We can feel good that the court has let this ruling stand, in saying that we as Americans believe that homeless people who have no place to go can’t be criminally punished.”

The underlying case, Martin v. Boise, arose when the City of Boise enacted a camping ban forbidding anyone from camping or sleeping outdoors anywhere within the city limits. The law was challenged on the grounds that even homeless people have a right to sleep, and must do so outdoors if there is no other shelter available.

The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in 2018 that if a city can’t offer shelter beds, then a ban on camping violates the constitutional prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. Boise appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court and was joined by cities from Alaska to Arizona.

According to Theane Evangelis, lead counsel for the city of Boise, the 9th Circuit’s decision hampers his city’s ability to control its homeless population and creates a “constitutional right to camp.”

Photo by Lucy Nicholson / Reuters

“The 9th Circuit’s decision ultimately harms the very people it purports to protect,” Evangelis said in a statement Monday. “As the case now returns to the district court for further proceedings, the city of Boise will be evaluating next steps.”

The Washington cities of Spokane, Spokane Valley, and Olympia joined in Boise’s

appeal, arguing that they were prevented from protecting the public under the 9th Circuit ruling.

Sara Rankin, director of the Homeless Rights Advocacy Project at Seattle University’s School of Law, said her takeaway from the Supreme Court’s decision was that the justices “did not buy the hype”

described by these cities in their briefs.

“The hype was that they were completely hamstrung, that there was basically nothing else for them to do than issue them citations, or to respond to unsheltered homelessness by leading with law enforcement,” Rankin told the Seattle Times.

Gay letter carrier sues USPS over harassment

by Mike Andrew SGN Staff Writer A former letter carrier is suing the US Postal Service (USPS) for harassment and illegal termination based on his sexual orientation.

The plaintiff’s name has been redacted from court documents to prevent retaliation or stigma associated with his orientation and HIV status, which is disclosed in the lawsuit. He is identified only as “John Doe.” Doe worked for 12 years as a letter carrier in Hanover Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. He was fired in August 2019.

As a result of being fired, Doe lost his employer-provided medical insurance and now is unable to afford health care costs, including his HIV meds. As a result, he says he has suffered depression and anxiety.

He is asking for his job back plus back pay for the time since his termination. He also wants compensation for pain and suffering and embarrassment.

Doe says that during his 12 years with USPS, his coworkers repeatedly used antigay slurs against him, calling him a “sick faggot” and “Glinda,” the name of the good witch from The Wizard of Oz. They also mocked him for wearing his summer uniform shorts “too tight.”

His manager joined in the harassment, Doe says, threatening on one occasion, “I fucking swear to God, I’m gonna get his ass fired.”

Photo by Lucy Nicholson / Reuters

Doe says he was falsely accused of kicking a coworker and subsequently fired on August 19, 2019. That individual, named in the lawsuit as Lisa Williams, had always been hostile to Doe, he charged.

In his lawsuit, Doe says Williams lied about the incident when she contacted police almost a week after it supposedly happened. Police charged him with harassment, but the charge was later dropped.

Managers waited another 40 days

before conducting their mandatory pre-disciplinary interview with Doe, then delayed another 53 days before giving him his “notice of removal.”

The day Doe was fired, Williams allegedly told her coworkers, “I’m so glad they finally got rid of that fruitcake,” according to another colleague who overheard her, the lawsuit states.

“Defendants acceded to Ms. Williams’ discriminatory bias and hate by wrongfully

terminating Doe,” the lawsuit says.

USPS spokeswoman Karen Mazurkiewicz said she couldn’t comment on pending litigation but maintained that the US Postal Service is “committed to providing a work environment free of harassment or other inappropriate conduct based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, [or] mental or physical disability.”

December 20, 2019

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Celebrating 45 Years!

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