A former letter carrier in Pennsylvania is suing the U.S. Postal Service. He says the service fired him after he persevered through years of discrimination because he’s gay and has HIV.
According to the Lehigh Valley Live, a Coplay, Pennsylvania resident filed a lawsuit this past Friday in federal court. He has redacted his name from the public, due to the stigma of being HIV-positive, and is thus referred to as John Doe in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit says that the John Doe was a letter carrier in Hanover Township, Lehigh County for 12 years. According to the plaintiff, he dealt with anti-gay harassment while on the job. From dealing with coworkers insulting him like calling him “sick f****t” and “Glinda,” after the female witch from The Wizard of Oz, to one supervisor allegedly saying, “I f***ing swear to God I’m gonna get his ass fired.”
Eventually, the postal worker was fired on August 19, 2019. According to the lawsuit, the man was fired for allegedly kicking a coworker named Lisa Williams. The lawsuit denies this incident. The lawsuit also points out that the postal worker was charged with harassment after the alleged incident, but that charge was later dismissed.
“Defendants acceded to Ms. Williams’ discriminatory bias and hate by wrongfully terminating Doe,” the lawsuit says.
According to the Philly Voice, the plaintiff has fallen into a deep depression. He worries not only about losing his job but also about how he’ll manage his HIV without medical care. As such, the former postal worker is looking to be rehired and be paid for the time he was terminated. He also wants an unspecified amount as compensation for his pain, suffering, and embarrassment.
Source: Lehigh Valley Live, the Philly Voice
