Panel Recommends Firing Gay Fire Chief

[NVMojo]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -

A city panel recommended Tuesday that officials fire Bonnie Bleskachek, the nation's first openly lesbian big-city fire chief, in the wake of firefighter lawsuits accusing her of harassment and discrimination.

Bleskachek had earlier agreed to step down. But the city's executive council unanimously rejected a negotiated deal after a closed-door meeting.

"She was pretty stunned because it was a complete surprise," said Bleskachek's attorney, Jerry Burg.

Mayor R.T. Rybak had announced the agreement in a letter to the city's executive council in which he wrote that he no longer had confidence in Bleskachek as chief. Neither Rybak nor City Council members would immediately explain why the deal was blocked.

Bleskachek, 43, was hailed as a trailblazer when she was promoted to the top job two years ago, but her tenure has been troubled.

more...

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nat-gen/2006/nov/28/112806758.html

[Sapphocrat]

1. Proof...

...that queers are just like everybody else.

If all the allegations against her are true, then I'm all for firing her ass, gay, straight, or whatever.

[Richard Steele]

3. Yup. She can be just as big a JERK as any straight person.

That's -IF- all the allegations are true, of course...

But she's hardly in a position to DENY them, since she
had already agreed to step down.

[MannyGoldstein]

4. What About The Rest of Her?

If she showed up to work without her ass, wouldn't her pants fall down?

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

10. Need I remind you about the red suspenders?!

nt

[Hosnon]

2. It doesn't seem incredibly relevant that she is a lesbian...this looks like baiting to me. nt.

[Lautremont]

6. It was sexual harassment complaints from female firefighters.

It's relevant. However, I'm sure that if the complaints had been something else, they still would have trumpeted "lesbian fire chief!" in giant headlines, just to give that story the whiff of "deviant" scandal. Even with the story being what it is, they don't need to be so freak show about it.

[Hosnon]

7. A straight man/woman can sexually harass a member of the same sex.

It may be relevant to some degree but that degree is extremely small (in my opinion).

[IndianaGreen]

5. Will MN DUers post what the facts are?

We need some background on this case.

[NVMojo]

8. here's another version of the story

http://www.wctrib.com/ap/index.cfm?page=view&id=D8LMD3001

snip...
Bleskachek, 43, was hailed as a trailblazer when she was promoted to the top job two years ago, but her tenure has been troubled.

Three female firefighters have sued, alleging various acts of discrimination and sexual harassment. Two of the lawsuits were settled, but earlier this month, a male firefighter brought another lawsuit alleging he was denied advancement because he is male and not gay.

A city investigation is still under way. This summer, a separate investigation by the city's Department of Civil Rights into a 2003 complaint by a male firefighter - brought when Bleskachek was a battalion chief - found it "likely" that the department gave preferential treatment to lesbians or those who socialized with them.
snip...

[NVMojo]

9. and another ...

Two of the lawsuits have been settled, with the city paying a total of $94,000. But when legal costs are totalled, according to city staff member Matt Liable, the tab has reached $410,000.

In those two settled cases firefighters Jennifer Cornell and Kathleen Mullen alleged that the chief obstructed their promotions for personal reasons. The city admitted no wrongdoing in those out-of-court settlements.

The original suit, filed last April by Captain Kristina Lemon, is still pending. Lemon alleged that Bleskachek pursued an unwanted romantic relationship, and that she was denied promotions she had earned.

Elondo Wright filed his lawsuit in U.S. District Court claiming he was discriminated against because he was a heterosexual man in a department led by a lesbian. Wright alleged that Bleskachek and her partner, a captain on the fire department, gave him bad reviews and denied him advancement opportunities.

http://www.kare11.com/news/ts_article.aspx?storyid=140555