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.
"I am! And that's okay," was the Grammy-winning artist's reply.
Khalid also addressed the topic in a separate post, noting that he was "outed" by another person.
"I got outted and the world still continues to turn," he wrote. "Let's get this straight (lmao) I am not ashamed of my sexuality! In reality it ain't nobodies business! But I am okay with me love yall."
A South Carolina woman filed a class action lawsuit against toymaker Mattel, claiming she and her daughter suffered "emotional distress" after being directed to an explicit, adult website that was printed on the packaging for dolls based on characters in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Wicked.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, notes that first editions of the boxes for thedolls bore the website Wicked.com, an adult film website, instead of the correct address, WickedMovie.com.
The misprint led to a recall of the dolls, which were temporarily pulled from stores until the packaging could be replaced. Mattel apologized for the error and sent out a warning to parents to discard the product packaging or obscure the link.
A gay teacher in Oregon was awarded $90,000 as part of a lawsuit alleging she was subjected to a hostile work environment and retaliated against for her support of LGBTQ students.
Eileen Brennock, a Spanish teacher at Mountain View Middle School, in Newberg, Oregon, claimed that the school's former principal, Terry McElligot, told staff at a meeting on September 10, 2021, that "it's not okay to tell kids it's okay to be gay or trans."
McElligot also reportedly told teachers not to display any Pride or "Black Lives Matter" flags or insignia to avoid "pok the bear."
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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.
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