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Lesbian Minneapolis Fire Chief to be Dismissed After Four Sexual Harassment Lawsuits Filed

Female L.A. police officer files misconduct complaint against lesbian sergeant

By Gudrun Schultz

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota, November 29, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Minneapolis city council voted to fire lesbian fire chief Bonnie Bleskachek Tuesday, after four separate sexual discrimination and harassment lawsuits were filed against Minneapolis’ first female fire chief.

City council rejected tentative plans to demote Bleskachek to battalion chief or captain, after a closed meeting with Mayor R.T. Rybak and executive committee members.

Bleskacheck had earlier agreed to step down from her position as fire chief and anticipated a deal granting her a lesser position, the Guardian Unlimited reported earlier today.

“She was pretty stunned because it was a complete surprise,” her attorney Jerry Burg told the Associated Press. It is unclear if Bleskacheck will be retained by the department in any capacity.

A city investigation found Bleskachek manipulated promotions in the department to favour lesbians and friends, after two lawsuits claimed the fire chief acted maliciously in denying promotions to two female firefighters.

The city settled out of court last month on both suits, agreeing to pay a total of $94,000 to fire Captain Jennifer Cornell and firefighter Kathleen Mullen. The investigation, legal settlements and paid leave for Bleskachek have cost the city more than $410,000.

Cornell, who had been in a relationship with Bleskachek, said the fire chief canceled the final exam for battalion chief after Cornell was found to be one of two female finalists for the position. Cornell’s attorney said Bleskachek had acted out of malice because the relationship between the two women had ended. Cornell will receive $65,000 in damages from the city and will be promoted within the next two years.

Kathleen Mullen also filed suit against Bleskachek on grounds of discrimination, claiming Bleskachek threw out her test scores in the exam process for battalion chief in a further act of malice against Cornell. Mullen will receive $29,000 and promotion to battalion chief.

A third suit still underway accuses Bleskachek of sexual harassment for denying firefighter Kristina Lemon training and advancement opportunities after Lemon rejected sexual advances from Bleskachek.

A fourth suit was filed this month by a male firefighter, Elondo Wright, who claims the fire chief harassed him, gave him unjustly poor performance reviews and denied him advancement opportunities within the department.

In related news, a former Los Angeles police officer has filed a lawsuit claiming she was harassed and discriminated against by fellow officers at the LAPD Pacific Division because she was not homosexual.

Cindy S. Perez alleges she was dismissed from the force on false charges in 2005, after she was accused of pointing her gun at an officer during a training exercise in 2003. Her accusers were a lesbian lieutenant and a male sergeant, Perez claims in documents obtained by KCAL Television.

The lawsuit says heterosexual female officers at the LAPD’s Pacific Division were targeted for harassment and denied advancement opportunities granted to lesbians, in an environment Perez described as “lesbian-friendly.”

Perez claims she was singled out for intimidation and harassment after she filed a misconduct complaint against a lesbian sergeant--her suit alleges the sergeant had a history of sexual discrimination complaints against her.

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