Virginia woman sues over ‘lesbian perception’ firing
A Virginia woman claims she lost out on a job at a youth group because board members looked at her Facebook profile and assumed she was a lesbian.
Jessica A Hudson, of Kanawha County, is seeking unspecified punitive damages and compensatory damages from the Bob Burdette Center in Charleston.
She also wants an order banning the centre from discriminating.
Her lawyer, Rick Brown, has refused to confirm whether she is a lesbian.
He told the Charleston Gazette: “The reason she was fired is because she was perceived as being a lesbian. Whether she is or not is immaterial.”
He says Ms Hudson was offered a job as chief executive of the centre after two interviews and was due to start work on June 29th.
But after the board held an emergency meeting, the offer was rescinded.
Ms Hudson’s lawsuit says the board told she had “inconsistencies” in her CV and had made “misrepresentations” during her interviews.
Mr Brown said Ms Hudson was told by a board member that the offer was rescinded because the board looked at her Facebook page, which led them to believe she was a lesbian.
The Bob Burdette Center has not commented.
