CONTACTAbout UsCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2025 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Two gay Washington, D.C., cops have filed separate lawsuits alleging that senior officers disclosed their sexual orientation to their coworkers without permission, the Washington Blade reported Friday.
Officers Anthony Faverio and Donald Marcus Phillips each state in their lawsuits that internal affairs investigator Debbie Anne Burt outed them in a widely circulated report in May.
Burt's report was part of an investigation into sexual harassment claims Faverio made against former sergeant Richard Moats in November 2005, complaints that Phillips and two other officers corroborated. Her report allegedly centered on examining the sexual orientation of the complainants rather than the sexual harassment charges.
Phillips's lawsuit claims he admitted his orientation to Burt after she promised him "information concerning his sexual orientation would not leave the room." The tape was then disseminated through the first district, where he was assigned, and made its way to neighboring districts as well. He later received a barrage of threatening and homophobic phone calls at his residence, one of which came from the administrative offices of the first district, according to his caller ID. When Phillips applied for medical leave due "the debilitating effects of depression," his police powers were suspended and he was relegated to clerical work.
Faverio's suit, similar to Phillips's, argues that the "defendants knew or should have known that such disclosure of plaintiff's sexual orientation would within the culture and customs of the Metropolitan Police Department cause harm to the plaintiff." Both suits allege sexual orientation discrimination, retaliation, negligent supervision, and invasion of privacy.
Phillips has since been reinstated as an officer in the first district, and Faverio has transferred to the narcotics and special investigation unit. Both the police department and its gay and lesbian liaison are refraining from commenting on pending litigation. No trial dates have been set. (The Advocate)
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
31 Period Films of Lesbians and Bi Women in Love That Will Take You Back
December 09 2024 1:00 PM
18 of the most batsh*t things N.C. Republican governor candidate Mark Robinson has said
October 30 2024 11:06 AM
True
After 20 years, and after tonight, Obama will no longer be the Democrats' top star
August 20 2024 12:28 PM
Trump ally Laura Loomer goes after Lindsey Graham: ‘We all know you’re gay’
September 13 2024 2:28 PM
These 15 major companies caved to the far right and stopped DEI programs
January 24 2025 1:11 PM
True
Melania Trump cashed six-figure check to speak to gay Republicans at Mar-a-Lago
August 16 2024 5:57 PM
Latest Stories
Dad's heartwarming reaction to his son coming out as gay goes viral 8 years later
February 11 2025 12:55 PM
Trump taps gay MAGA loyalist Ric Grenell as interim head of Kennedy Center
February 11 2025 11:52 AM
Google Calendar removes Pride Month and Black History Month shortly after dropping DEI
February 11 2025 11:20 AM
Trump Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth enacts harshest anti-trans military policies yet
February 11 2025 9:57 AM
Protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ families in the second Trump presidency
February 11 2025 7:00 AM
Three convicted in murders of gay men in New York City
February 10 2025 7:59 PM
Trump's Education Department investigates schools for trans inclusion in sports
February 10 2025 5:53 PM
GLAAD responds as WWE chooses not to renew lesbian wrestler Sonya Deville’s contract
February 10 2025 3:34 PM
Rally for transgender youth overtakes New York City's Union Square, in photos
February 10 2025 2:35 PM
Anti-LGBTQ+ policies harm the health of not only LGBTQ+ people, but all Americans
February 10 2025 1:58 PM