Four San Diego firefighters claim they were forced to march in a San Diego Gay Pride Parade, in uniform, even though they are not gay:
In 28 years of responding to fires and saving lives, Fire Capt. John Ghiotto of the San Diego Fire Department never thought his job would require him to attend a Gay Pride parade.
“I’ve dealt with finding bodies in burning buildings, traffic accidents with kids, but I’ve never been so stressed out before until this incident,” Ghiotto told FOXNews.com in an exclusive interview.
Ghiotto and three other firefighters filed a sexual harassment complaint against the city’s fire department last week after being forced to attend the parade in uniform despite objections they made to superiors.
What was so stressful about marching in the parade? How was this sexual harassment?
“You could not even look at the crowd without getting some type of sexual gesture,†Ghiotto said in the complaint. “The experience left me feeling humiliated, embarrassed and offended by this event.â€
…
“While I was sitting there waiting for the parade to start, I felt that I was forced against my will to be at the Gay Pride Parade and forced to see men in tight shorts dancing provocatively and other men kissing and hugging wearing sexually suggestive material on T-shirts with writing ‘Girth and Mirth,’ ‘Suit Up Before You Dive In,’ according to the complaint.
“I was forced into a situation that would compromise what I hold true and what I believe in, my reputation, my character, my integrity, my morals, and my religion,” the complaint says.
The fire chief said she was sorry and is looking into the claim:
San Diego fire chief Tracy Jarman, an open lesbian, said she apologized to the men, according to a statement. Jarman said any kind of sexual harassment is “unacceptable, and is never tolerated” in the department.
“I am deeply concerned and troubled by the allegations that have been made. I take them seriously,” Jarman said in a statement.
Jarman said she will order the city’s Equal Employment Investigative Office to review the complaint.
Sorry doesn’t cut it. These guys should never have been put in this situation. Based on this poor judgement, this woman needs to go. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that four firemen might not want to march in a gay pride parade in uniform. What other bone head decisions does she have in store for the Department?
On the other hand, they could have refused and then sued. Either way, this ends up in court because of the chief’s agenda. Ridiculous.
