movieguy Posted November 26, 2005 Report Share Posted November 26, 2005 Gay Cop Sues Force For Alleged Discrimination by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff Posted: November 26, 2005 12:01 am ET (Trenton, New Jersey) 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 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. ©365Gay.com 2005 links Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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