Lesbian firefighter awarded $1.3million compensation after decades of harassment
Firefighter wearing LGBT bracelet. (Getty/Cristian Martin)
A lesbian firefighter has been awarded $1.3 million (£970,000) compensation, after enduring decades of harassment from male colleagues.
On Tuesday (24 September), Kansas City Council’s finance team recommended that Rebecca Reynolds receive the settlement following 21 years of abuse from fellow firefighters and superiors. The payout, the largest in the fire department’s history, was approved on Thursday (26 September), according to The Advocate.
Reynolds, who graduated from the fire academy at the age of 40, revealed in two lawsuits the abuse she had suffered because of her sexuality and age. One colleague told her was only a lesbian because she hadn’t slept with the right man.
Reynolds to resign as part of settlement
She has agreed to drop two further lawsuits and not file a third, in which she alleged that a co-worker had urinated in her office while she was on extended medical leave. In relation to the incident, Pleaze Robinson III has been charged with first-degree harassment and first-degree property damage.
As part of the settlement, Reynolds will resign. She said she “proud of the job” she had done.
In the UK, the Home Affairs Select Committee concluded in May that England’s fire and rescue service is “institutionally misogynistic, racist and homophobic”.
A report published last year revealed that staff in a quarter of fire services in England had reported allegations of homophobia, racism and misogyny.
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