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Anti-Gay Scandals |
| Compiled by Badpuppy's GayToday An unusual and somewhat bizarre defense by Dresdner Bank emerged last week in the first anti-gay discrimination case on Wall Street. Manhattan federal court judge Denny Chin ruled the $75 million discrimination case brought by Joseph Daniel could go to trial. The case was profiled on Gay Pride Day by the CBS Evening News as an example of overt gay discrimination. Daniel, 35, was fired in April 1997, one week after suggesting that the bank offer health benefits to gay partners. At the time Dresdner claimed it was downsizing, but Daniel later learned he was the only one fired. The firing came nearly a year after bank officials learned he was gay and had rescinded his promotion to vice president. Daniel already had acquired a new office with a door plaque, business cards and stationary reflecting his new job title. The promotion had been announced in writing worldwide within the firm and to clients. Several Wall Street firms have recently been rocked by sexual harassment lawsuits including the notorious "Boom Boom Room" Smith Barney case, where female employees were routinely groped and fondled. Dresdner itself has been repeatedly rocked by scandal recently. Four of the bank's eight Board members have resigned over the last year, admitting they cheated on their taxes by sending millions to Switzerland. In the face of widespread evidence of systematic tax evasion over eight years, German tax authorities are still announcing indictments. A group of Holocaust survivors has also sued Dresdner for billions in Manhattan's federal court, claiming their funds were stolen by the bank during the Nazi era. The worst news may be still to come for Dresdner. The bank's RCM unit manages the pension fund assets of the City and County of San Francisco Public Employees' Retirement Fund, and San Francisco has legal requirements that all city vendors offer gay domestic partners healthcare benefits. Since Dresdner does not offer such benefits, an estimated $1 billion pension fund management contract could be withdrawn. Articles in many sources including The Economist magazine have questioned the truthfulness and business judgment of Dresdner's officials. In Daniel's gay discrimination case, Dresdner now claims that the firm recently found pornographic Internet photos on his computer --long AFTER Daniel had been fired and had sued the company. The photos reportedly show women engaged in sex with animals. Even the bank admits it had no cause to make this claim before firing Daniel; the photos mysteriously appeared months after the lawsuit was announced. "I'm devastated by the whole thing," Daniel stated. "It's outrageous that they would throw some random pictures they found on the Internet on my computer and say I deserved to be fired anyway. Daniel's attorney, Madeline Lee Bryer, was appalled by the bank's claims. "It's shocking that in 1998 a major international bank would treat gay discrimination with the disdain Dresdner has shown in this lawsuit," she said. "Homophobic smear campaigns are outrageous in this day and age." New York City Councilman Tom Duane strongly endorses Daniel's case. At a press conference held in front of Dresdner Bank US headquarters, Duane stated, "Dresdner Bank's treatment of Mr. Daniel is inexcusable, and illustrates the need to focus more attention on anti-gay bias on Wall Street." Gay organizations world-wide, including several in Europe, have begun to call for a boycott and letter writing campaign to Dresdner Bank. If you would like to express your opinion on the case directly to Dresdner Bank, the firm can be reached by email at the following addresses: |
