District of Columbia
D.C. lawsuit claims AARP Services illegally fired gay man
Five-year-old case set for February 2024 trial
A gay former manager for the D.C.-based AARP Services, Inc., an arm of the AARP that interacts with businesses supportive of the nationās seniors, filed a little-noticed lawsuit in May 2018 charging AARP Services with firing him because heās gay and married to a man.
Richard A. Deus, Jr., who worked for AARP and AARP Services for 11 years and held the title of director of program management at the time of his termination in February 2018, charges in his lawsuit that AARP officials falsely accused him of accepting gifts for travel from businesses affiliated with AARP that violated AARP employee ethics policies.
The lawsuit says AARP Services cited these alleged violations as the reason for its decision to fire him.
But, according to a 26-page amended complaint filed by Deusās attorney in D.C. Superior Court, Deus sought and received permission from his supervisor and an official with the AARPās general counselās office to take two separate trips, one to New Orleans and the other to New York City, as being work related.
The New Orleans trip involved attending the Sugar Bowl football game at the invitation of the Allstate insurance company, which has a longstanding business relationship with AARP Services, the lawsuit says. The trip to New York involved seeing a show with a vendor after the workday, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit identifies as many as a dozen or more other AARP and AARP Services employees who have taken business trips like the two taken by Deus who were not fired or disciplined. A few faced disciplinary actions but were allowed to retain their jobs, the lawsuit says.
āDespite the fact that heterosexual employees were permitted to participate in work related trips to sporting events, Plaintiff was terminated purportedly for taking a work-related trip to the Sugar Bowl after receiving approval,ā the complaint says.
āTerminating Plaintiffās employment as a result of his work-related trip to the Allstate Sugar Bowl after his supervisor and the General Counselās office approved the trip and despite that other AARP employees participated in the same business-related activity without adverse actions being taken against any of them, is discriminatory on the basis of Plaintiffās sexual orientation and marital status, in violation of the D.C. Human Rights Act,ā the complaint states.
The Washington Blade attempted to obtain a response from the AARP to the allegations made in the Deus lawsuit, but an official said the AARP would have no comment at this time.
āThank you for reaching out but we do not comment on pending legal matters,ā said Colby Nelson, AARPās Senior External Relations Director, in an email to the Blade.
In its response to the lawsuit filed in court, AARP Services denies it engaged in discrimination against Deus.
āAll decisions made by Defendants with respect to Mr. Deusā employment were based solely on legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons, wholly without regard to his sexual orientation, marital status, and/or any other protected classification, and were made in good faith and in compliance with applicable laws,ā a Nov. 8, 2018, court filing by AARP Services says.
As part of its defense, AARP Services also filed a counterclaim against Deus, accusing him of obtaining the reimbursement of $2,155.14 for travel expenses āthrough fraud.ā The counterclaim says Deus refused a request that he repay the reimbursement payment. It calls on the court to order him to repay the reimbursement plus interest incurred since the time the money was given to him and to pay for attorneyās fees.
Deusās attorney, Darrell Chambers, said the allegations in the counterclaim are false and called it a form of retaliation against Deus for filing his discrimination lawsuit.
Deusās lawsuit calls for a judgement against AARP Services of $10 million, $5 million for compensatory damages and $5 million for punitive damages, along with attorneyās fees and court costs.
āI took hundreds of business trips for AARP over the course I was there for 11 years,ā Deus told the Blade. āI did what everybody else did,ā he said, adding that his trips helped AARP and AARP Services obtain millions of dollars in revenue through arrangements with businesses supportive of AARP.
On its website, AARP Services, Inc. describes itself as the āprofessional services arm of AARP,ā adding, āwe support the Associationās mission of disrupting aging by helping bring new products to drive market innovation and build richer connections with consumers.ā
Deus told the Blade he was dedicated to helping AARP fulfill its mission in supporting the nationās seniors and his firing came as a devastating blow.
Court records show that at the request of the judge presiding over the case, two attempts were made to reach a conciliation agreement to settle the lawsuit, but no agreement could be reached.
The lawsuit says AARP allegedly fired at least one other gay employee, who also filed suit and an out-of-court settlement was reached. The terms of the settlement have not been publicly disclosed.
Court records also show that at the request of AARP Services, D.C. Superior Court Judge Shana Frost Matini, who is presiding over the case, agreed to a motion by AARP Services to dismiss two AARP officials named in the lawsuit as defendants and to dismiss the lawsuitās claim of negligence against AARP Services for its firing of Deus.
Attorney Chambers said the judge dismissed the two officials because a third AARP Services official named in the lawsuit as a defendant admitted to making the decision to fire Deus.
Court records show that the judge denied motions by AARP Services to dismiss the entire case, upholding for trial the allegations of sexual orientation and marital status discrimination.
āAt this time, Rick would like to share his story,ā attorney Chambers told the Blade in a statement. āAs a gay man who has lived in D.C. for 22 years and was discriminatorily fired by an organization that states they are gay friendly, Rick believes that his story should be heard,ā Chambers said.
āThe fact that he has been entrenched in a bitter and expensive legal battle with AARP Services, Inc. for five years is a cautionary tale for anyone interested in an employment relationship with AARP,ā he said.
Court records show that a trial for the case has been scheduled for Feb. 12, 2024.
District of Columbia
Billy Porter, Keke Palmer, Ava Max to perform at Capital Pride
Concert to be held at annual festival on June 9
The Capital Pride Alliance, the group that organizes D.C.ās annual LGBTQ Pride events, announced this week the lineup of performers for the Sunday, June 9, Capital Pride Concert to be held during the Capital Pride Festival on Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. near the U.S. Capitol.
Among the performers will be nationally acclaimed singers and recording artists Billy Porter and Keke Palmer, who will also serve as grand marshals for the Capital Pride Parade set to take place one day earlier on Saturday, June 8.
The Capital Price announcement says the other lead performers will be Ava Max, Sapphira Cristal, and the pop female trio ExposƩ.
āThe beloved pop icons will captivate audiences with upbeat performances coupled with their fierce advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights, echoing the vibrant spirit of this yearās theme, āTotally Radical,āā according to a statement released by Capital Pride Alliance.
āWith Billy Porter and Keke Palmer leading the parade as Grand Marshals, weāre not only honoring their incredible contributions to the LGBTQ+ community but also amplifying their voices as fierce advocates for equality and acceptance,ā Capital Pride Alliance Executive Director Ryan Bos said in the statement.
āThe concert and festival serve as a platform to showcase the diverse array of LGBTQ+ talent, from the chart-topping hits of Ava Max to the iconic sounds of ExposĆ© and the electrifying performances of Sapphira Cristal,ā Bos said in the statement. āCapital Pride 2024 promises to be a celebration like no other.ā
The concert will take place from 12-10 p.m. on the main stage and other stages across the four-block long festival site on Pennsylvania Avenue.
District of Columbia
200 turn out for āLove Festā Drag Story Hour at Freddieās
Performer reads stories to kids and parents as three protest outside
Between 200 and 250 people, including parents and their children, turned out on Saturday, May 4, for a āLove Festā Drag Story Hour brunch hosted by the Arlington, Va., LGBTQ establishment Freddieās Beach Bar and Restaurant.
Local drag performer Tara Hoot, who read childrenās stories and handed out coloring books to the kids attending the event, was joined by members of the Gay Menās Chorus of Washington, which sang several songs before Hoot began reading from childrenās books in keeping with the tradition of drag queens conducting Drag Story Hour events across the country.
The May 4 event at Freddieās in the Crystal City section of Arlington took place four weeks after the start of a similar event hosted by Freddieās was delayed by a bomb threat, forcing those who had arrived to exit through a rear door and wait in a parking lot as Arlington police conducted a search of the premises with a bomb sniffing dog. No trace of a bomb was found.
All the customers, including parents and their kids, were invited back inside and the show took place as planned.
No similar threat occurred at the May 4 event. But three male protesters assembled on the sidewalk next to the parking lot behind the Freddieās building, with one of them shouting from a bullhorn passages from his Bible that he said indicated the Drag Story Hour event was an āabomination.ā
The three protesters were outnumbered by nearly a dozen counter protesters who were members of the Rainbow Defense Coalition, an LGBTQ organization. They carried bright, rainbow-colored umbrellas while chanting messages of support for the Drag Story Hour event.
Freddie Lutz, Freddieās Beach Bar owner, called the event a āsmashing successā that brought an āoutpouring of love from the community.ā Lutz released a flier on social media promoting the Love Fest event shortly after the earlier event interrupted by the bomb threat as a showing of love “to stop the hate.”
“Join us for the next story time brunch dressed in your favorite rainbow/hippie outfit” and “carry your favorite homemade signs of support,” Lutz said in his promotional flier. He came to the event dressed in what he called his hippie protest outfit.
Lutz said while the protesters did not interrupt the event, he was concerned that their shouting was scaring some of the kids as they and their parents walked by the protesters to enter Freddieās.
āI went out back and tried to talk to one of them and it was kind of like talking to a brick wall,ā Lutz told the Washington Blade. āHe was screaming at the parents that were crossing their kids on the crosswalk,ā Lutz said. āAnd I said, youāre screaming at those kids, youāre scaring them.ā
Lutz said the man told him he was yelling at the parents, not the kids. āAnd I said, no youāre not. The kids are hearing you. Youāre scaring them.ā
Added Lutz, āAnd to have such a fun-loving, happy show and then walk out on the sidewalk to that is very disheartening. Itās really sad. I told him my God is a forgiving and loving God.ā
One of the protesters, who declined to disclose his name, said he and his two fellow protesters came to talk about the gospel of Jesus Christ.
āWe want them to know this is an abomination to the Lord,ā he told the Blade. āWe want them to know those children donāt have a voice and theyāre being brainwashed in there. Weāre here to call out their sin.ā
Stephanie Krenrich, who brought her two-year-old daughter to the event, said she strongly disputes the claims of the protesters.
āI brought my daughter here because I think that it was a beautiful and wonderful show, and it was great for her,ā she said. āAnd I think itās pretty offensive when people come to Arlington and tell parents what to do, especially for something so beautiful and so fun and so wholesome,ā she told the Blade.
āSo thatās why I brought her,ā Krenrich said. āI think that itās really important that we stand up for our values and people just being themselves, being happy and being them.ā
Among those who attended the event were four elected officials from Arlington ā Virginia State Sen. Barbara Favola, Virginia State Del. Adele McClure, Arlington County Board member Maureen Coffee, and Arlington and Falls Church Stateās Attorney Parisa Dehgani-Tafti.
Also attending was Nick Benton, editor and publisher of the LGBTQ supportive Falls Church, Va., News Press; and Kellen McBeth, president of the LGBTQ group Equality Arlington.
āIt was fantastic to see so many people come out to support Freddieās, to support the LGBTQ+ community,ā McBeth said. āIt was a great event and weāre happy to be a part of it.ā
District of Columbia
Another successful Taste of Point fundraiser
Scholars praise financial, networking support
The Point Foundation hosted its annual Taste of Point DC fundraising event on Thursday with nine participating restaurants, a drag performance, and a silent auction.
The event was hosted on the rooftop of the Room & Board on 14th Street, with an afterparty at Shakers. Point donors, scholars, and alumni circled the rooftop eating chips and guacamole from Mi Vida and drinking Pinot Grigio from Barkada.
After about an hour of mingling the events began with event committee member, Kelly Horton and Kevin Kim Wright, chief of staff welcoming the crowd and speaking about the importance of their presence during this pivotal time in queer youth history. Then, Wright welcomed BIPOC Scholar Katherine Guerrero Rivera, saying she was a model of a Point scholar.
āWeāre always impressed with all of our scholars and Katherine is another example of a student who is deeply engaged in their campus life and a myriad of projects, everything from creating her own podcast to being a part of a number of student organizations.ā Wright said.
Rivera said that the Point Foundation scholarship helps her resist the pressure to drop out. She pointed out that just over 50 percent of Latina students who attend college graduate.
āThe Point BIPOC Scholarship is not just financial support, Point has connected me with hundreds of people like me studying on campuses across the country.ā she said.
Rivera is a criminology major and poetics minor at University of Maryland and said she hopes to use her degree to bring knowledge to her community through art and advocacy. She said it is important for her to take academic jargon and make it accessible to her community.
āToo often, the history of LGBTQ and people are ignored and silenced during our education,ā she said. āI want to use my access to higher education and the chance to develop my creative skills to bring light to societal issues.ā
She finished her speech with applause for the audience, then Horton came back with drag queen Tara Hoot to discuss ways donors could continue to support the Point Foundation.
After the lineup of events Wright said he felt great about the event, because it was a celebration of Pointās scholars.
āSome are interning for United States senators, some are volunteering for leading national non-profits, so to be able to celebrate all thatās being done here is truly amazing,ā
Wright continued, thanking the D.C. restaurant community for consistently showing up in force to support Point.
āThis really helps to paint the picture that this movement is growing,ā he said. āPeople believe in this mission to provide LGBTQ young people with the opportunity to pursue their higher education goals, to improve their leadership abilities and then go on to make a significant impact on society.ā
CLICK HERE to see more photos from Taste of Point.
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