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Trump Employee Suing for Antigay Discrimination

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A gay former employee of Trump's golf club in New Jersey claims he experienced extereme antigay harassment from his coworkers. 

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Only a day after the Log Cabin Republicans announced they are not endorsing Donald Trump for president, news has surfaced that a former employee at one of Trump's golf courses is suing for antigay harassment and discrimination.

Eleazar Andres was a maintenance worker in 2014 at New Jersey's Trump National Golf Club, where he alleges that his coworkers often used slurs such as "faggot" and "maricon" toward him, reports Slate. Andres says one particular coworker went so far as to throw a rock at his head, resulting in an injury that required hospital treatment.

Andres filed suit in a New Jersey state court for harassment and discrimination. In his suit, Andres claims that his supervisor witnessed his coworkers harassing him and did nothing to stop the behavior. After his trip to the hospital for the rock injury, Andres says, he went to one of the managers to put in a complaint. Andres says that the manager assured him that he would deal with the issue, but when Andres went to him to get more information for the police report he was filing against the man who attacked him, the manager would not participate. When Andres complained that he didn't feel safe going to work after being physically assaulted, he was fired, he claims in the suit.

Slate explains more about the suit, which is now in court-ordered mediation:

Andres is now suing Trump National Golf Club under New Jersey's robust nondiscrimination law, alleging that he experienced sexual orientation harassment, a hostile work environment based on sexual orientation, discrimination based on sexual orientation, and unlawful retaliation. He is also suing for assault and battery. He argues that the club is liable "for the acts constituting hostile work environment" and "sexual orientation harassment" because it "failed to properly address" his complaints and "failed to implement any preventative or remedial measures to protect against unlawful harassment" and discrimination. Andres then lists a variety of training programs and policies recognized by the courts as effective tools for combatting discrimination.

Trump's attorneys have denied Andres's charges thus far, except that they do confirm Andres was attacked with rocks by his coworkers. Trump's lawyers are using a defense known as the "Doctrine of Unclean Hands," meaning that Andres is the guilty party because he "somehow fostered or provoked the discrimination against him," writes Slate.

Trump himself has been accused of sexual harassment by more than 11 women. The Republican presidential nominee continues to deny all allegations, instead blaming his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, saying she is planting these women to speak against him in order to sway the election.

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Yezmin Villarreal

Yezmin Villarreal is the former news editor for The Advocate. Her work has also appeared in The Los Angeles Times, Mic, LA Weekly, Out Magazine and The Fader.
Yezmin Villarreal is the former news editor for The Advocate. Her work has also appeared in The Los Angeles Times, Mic, LA Weekly, Out Magazine and The Fader.