Wake County Sheriff Gerald Baker – Photo: Wake County Sheriff’s Office.
Two former Wake County sheriff’s deputies have sued Sheriff Gerald Baker, claiming he fired them for reporting a lieutenant — who happened to be a personal friend of his — for making racist and homophobic comments during a staff training.
The deputies, Steven Williamson and Alvis Speight, say they were fired one month after Baker was elected in 2018 for reporting comments made by Lt. Teddy Patrick during a training session in 2017.
During that training, Patrick allegedly told the deputies that he “didn’t believe in being gay,” did not like “gay people,” and made disparaging comments about homosexuals. The lawsuit alleges that Patrick even outed one deputy at the session for being gay, adding “words to the effect of that if a man came to his home dressed as a woman, he would not permit that man to enter his home.”
Patrick, who is Black, also reportedly said that “if white people keep killing themselves, we Black people will be the majority, instead of the minority” and told deputies present he felt uncomfortable around Muslims on airplanes, according to The News & Observer, a Raleigh-based paper.
Williamson and Speight claim they reported Patrick’s comments to a captain and to then-Chief of Operations Richard Johnson. Williamson also told then-Sheriff Donnie Harrison, who asked about what had been said in the training.
Harrison demoted Patrick for the incident. But Williamson and Speight claim that Patrick vented to his “close friend and confidant” Baker — who belongs to the same Masonic lodge — about the incident.
After Baker was elected, Williamson and Speight claim that they were called into Baker’s office and told their services were no longer needed. After the election, Patrick reportedly approached the deputy he had outed and said words to the effect of “You don’t have anything to worry about, I know who was responsible,” according to the lawsuit.
Baker also declined to swear in Johnson, the former chief of operations who had disciplined Patrick, effectively terminating him. Johnson then filed his own lawsuit, which is still pending, against Baker.
Baker disputed the deputies’ claims in 2019 after Williamson and Speight were interviewed on television, stating: “I have not retaliated against anyone.” According to WAVY, Baker said at the time that the deputies had been terminated because he didn’t have confidence in them to follow and implement his policies attempting to restructure the department.
Williamson and Speight, who have asked for a jury trial, are currently seeking damages, including lost pay and benefits, compensation for pain and suffering, and any other relief that the court sees as appropriate.
A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office did not respond to request for comment from Metro Weekly, either about the lawsuit or the department’s employment policies. A spokesperson previously told the News & Observer that the office had not received or read the full complaint.
Two more states have decided to copy the state of Florida's actions, with Republican lawmakers introducing bills to ban discussions of LGBTQ-related matters in elementary and middle schools.
In Texas, State Rep. Jared Patterson (R-Frisco) has introduced a bill that would bar any public or public charter school employee from providing "instruction regarding sexual orientation or gender identity" to students in grades K-8, and requires that if such topics are addressed at the high school level, that the material must be "age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate."
"Parents and taxpayers have spoken loudly over the past year-plus," Patterson said in a tweet. 'The message is no more radical ideology in the classroom -- particularly when it comes to inappropriate or obscene content. The sexualization of our children must stop."
A married gay couple have been awarded more than £120,000, or about $150,000 U.S. dollars, after suing their former employer, a London-based Italian restaurant, for anti-LGBTQ discrimination.
Tim Jeurninck, a waiter, and his husband, Marco Scatena, an employee and part-owner of the restaurant, claim they were "bullied for months on end" and subjected to "constant slurs" from higher-ups at the restaurant Piatto, in London's Battersea Park neighborhood.
According to the Daily Mail, based on testimony given before a South London tribunal, one of the restaurant's directors referred to Jeurninck as a "waitress" on more than one occasion, and frequently referred to him as a "f*****g f****t."
A federal judge has rejected a lawsuit seeking to block a Colorado law prohibiting therapists from subjecting minors to conversion therapy or other attempts to forcibly change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity.
Under the law, passed in 2019, mental health professionals are prohibited from subjecting minor patients to so-called "aversion therapy," which is designed to curb a person's desires or alter their behavior by linking same-sex thoughts or attraction with negative associations, such as a physical response.
For example, different types of aversion therapy may include inducing nausea or vomiting, providing electric shocks, or having a patient snap an elastic band around the wrist.
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
Two former Wake County sheriff’s deputies have sued Sheriff Gerald Baker, claiming he fired them for reporting a lieutenant — who happened to be a personal friend of his — for making racist and homophobic comments during a staff training.
The deputies, Steven Williamson and Alvis Speight, say they were fired one month after Baker was elected in 2018 for reporting comments made by Lt. Teddy Patrick during a training session in 2017.
During that training, Patrick allegedly told the deputies that he “didn’t believe in being gay,” did not like “gay people,” and made disparaging comments about homosexuals. The lawsuit alleges that Patrick even outed one deputy at the session for being gay, adding “words to the effect of that if a man came to his home dressed as a woman, he would not permit that man to enter his home.”
Patrick, who is Black, also reportedly said that “if white people keep killing themselves, we Black people will be the majority, instead of the minority” and told deputies present he felt uncomfortable around Muslims on airplanes, according to The News & Observer, a Raleigh-based paper.
Williamson and Speight claim they reported Patrick’s comments to a captain and to then-Chief of Operations Richard Johnson. Williamson also told then-Sheriff Donnie Harrison, who asked about what had been said in the training.
Harrison demoted Patrick for the incident. But Williamson and Speight claim that Patrick vented to his “close friend and confidant” Baker — who belongs to the same Masonic lodge — about the incident.
After Baker was elected, Williamson and Speight claim that they were called into Baker’s office and told their services were no longer needed. After the election, Patrick reportedly approached the deputy he had outed and said words to the effect of “You don’t have anything to worry about, I know who was responsible,” according to the lawsuit.
See also: Trans woman files for emergency injunction to stop Georgia prison officials’ retaliation against her
Baker also declined to swear in Johnson, the former chief of operations who had disciplined Patrick, effectively terminating him. Johnson then filed his own lawsuit, which is still pending, against Baker.
Baker disputed the deputies’ claims in 2019 after Williamson and Speight were interviewed on television, stating: “I have not retaliated against anyone.” According to WAVY, Baker said at the time that the deputies had been terminated because he didn’t have confidence in them to follow and implement his policies attempting to restructure the department.
Williamson and Speight, who have asked for a jury trial, are currently seeking damages, including lost pay and benefits, compensation for pain and suffering, and any other relief that the court sees as appropriate.
A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office did not respond to request for comment from Metro Weekly, either about the lawsuit or the department’s employment policies. A spokesperson previously told the News & Observer that the office had not received or read the full complaint.
Read more:
Missouri man charged with the murder of transgender woman Dominique Lucious
Ex-Manhattan Equinox gym manager sues over alleged sexual harassment
Athletes, coaches call on NCAA to remove championships from states with anti-trans athlete laws
Read Next