PHILADELPHIA - Harassment from third parties like students is enough to bring a discrimination lawsuit against my employer, a culinary instructor with Philadelphia Job Corps says.
A lawsuit was filed Feb. 19 against Philadelphia Job Corps and Adams and Associates, Inc. by a former employee identified as John Doe. The plaintiff, represented by attorney Justin Robinette, alleges that he was wrongfully terminated due to his sexual orientation.
The case is filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
John Doe, an openly gay man who is married to another man, claims that he faced harassment and a hostile work environment based on his sexual orientation.
Doe had been employed by the defendants for approximately 22 months as a Culinary Instructor at the Philadelphia Job Corps Center. During his employment, he was recognized as "Employee of the Month" several times and was selected for an honorary distinction to go to Washington D.C.
However, some of his students were hostile toward his lifestyle, with one calling him a "f---ing f-----t," the suit says. They even wrongly accused him of inappropriate touching, he says.
"Defendants failed to prevent, correct, and remedy the hostile work environment," the suit says. "Defendants did not separate the student from Mr. Doe and he had to continue as Culinary Instructor for the offending student."