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Gay Firefighter Files Lawsuit Alleging Boss Outed Him
By
John Del Signore
Published May 12, 2011
Modified May 12, 2011
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By
John Del Signore
Published May 12, 2011
Modified May 12, 2011
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Steven Saunders has been a firefighter in White Plains for 17 years. His father was a firefighter, and his father before him. But Saunders hasn't been able to do his job for almost a year now, because after confiding to the deputy chief that he is gay in 2008, his fellow firefighters turned on him in the most sad, vile way. According to a harassment lawsuit filed yesterday, Saunders's sexual orientation was revealed against his will by Deputy
Chief Richard Houlihan, who advised him not to tell anyone, but then blabbed about it to the other firefighters, who did not receive the news in a particularly enlightened manner. Among other things, the lawsuit alleges:
- Saunders was in the reception area of the office suite of Fire Chief Richard Lyman when a female office assistant told the Plaintiff a story about a school teacher who was "obviously a fag" and that she, the office assistant, could not understand how any school could hire a man "like that".
- In September and October of 2009, Saunders, suffered direct verbal attacks and physical gestures including, but not limited to, other firefighters walking with their backside up against a wall in a mocking way, as if to protect their rear ends from an attack.
- One firefighter, while making sexual gestures, yelled to another firefighter that he wanted him to "suck his dick" and that he was then going to "give it to him up the ass." Saunders was also subjected to comments about "fags" and "cocksuckers"
- Saunders was subjected to sexual gestures and statements between other firefighters including, but not limited to, pretending to have sex with one another, firefighters grabbing their crotch and stating things such as "suck my dick", "suck his dick".
Saunders, a 43-year-old father of three, claims he was finally transferred to the position of Houlihan's driver so he "would have his own room and the other firefighters would not have to sleep" with him in the firehouse. When the harassment continued, Houlihan allegedly told Saunders, "keep your mouth shut" and "get thicker skin because everyone gets teased — Blacks, Hispanics and Italians."
Saunders has been on disability leave since August, and has been under psychiatric care for depression, panic disorder and anxiety. At a press conference yesterday, he told reporters, "I grew up in a family of firefighters and my whole life I knew I'd be a firefighter, too. I'm also a father and a gay man. An important part of my identity has been taken away from me by the people that I trusted."
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firefighters
gay
steven saunders
White Plains
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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