
CONTACTAbout UsCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2025 Equal Entertainment LLC.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
We need your help
Your support makes The Advocate's original LGBTQ+ reporting possible. Become a member today to help us continue this work.
Your support makes The Advocate's original LGBTQ+ reporting possible. Become a member today to help us continue this work.
A former sheriff's deputy in Mississippi will be reinstated following settlement of an antigay discrimination lawsuit out of court.
The Hattiesurg American reports that Andre Cooley, who filed suit against the Forrest County Sheriff's Department with help from the American Civil Liberties Union, will be reinstated as a deputy corrections officer. The department also will change its nondiscrimination policy to explicitly forbid antigay discrimination.
"Bear Atwood, legal director at the ACLU of Mississippi, said Cooley's was the first case of its kind in the state -- wherein an employee sued a public body for discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation," reports the American.
"She also said that Forrest County will have the first sheriff's office in the state to include a sexual orientation clause in its nondiscrimination policy."
The settlement also included back pay from the time Cooley was fired in June 2010 to the present.
In his lawsuit Cooley said that he was listed as the victim when he called 911 from home last year in response to violence by his boyfriend. He alleged that after his chief officer learned he was gay, he told him not to report to work before speaking with his direct supervisor, and that he was fired the next day.
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Watch Now: Pride Today
Latest Stories
19 photos from 1990s San Francisco show the roots of butch and femme culture
July 14 2025 2:12 PM
Ellen DeGeneres shows unexpected support for Rosie O'Donnell in Trump feud
July 14 2025 12:19 PM
Florida Republican official suspended for social posts mocking Pulse murder victims
July 14 2025 11:41 AM
How drag artists can protect themselves from the far-right attacks
July 14 2025 6:00 AM
Donald Trump threatens to revoke Rosie O'Donnell's citizenship — but he can't
July 12 2025 6:04 PM
Ahead of deadly Texas floods, so many warnings from climate scientists were missed
July 12 2025 7:00 AM