Tag Archives: sexual harassment

Texans’ cheer coach quits

Posted on August 24, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. Altovise Gary, the longtime director of the Houston Texans cheerleaders squad who was named as a defendant in one of two recent federal court lawsuits filed against the team, has resigned, a team spokeswoman said Tuesday. Gary resigned … Continue reading →

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Blake Farenthold is still a toad

Posted on August 21, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

In case you were wondering. A former Texas congressman had tried steering a federal contract to the owner of a business who gave him a $160,000-a-year job after the congressman resigned amid sexual harassment allegations, according to a newspaper investigation … Continue reading →

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Texans cheerleader lawsuit update

Posted on June 28, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Couple points of interest here. A former Texans cheerleader who says cheer director Alto Gary derided her as “skinny fat” and applied duct tape to her stomach before a 2017 game added her name Friday to one of two lawsuits … Continue reading →

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More on the Texans’ cheerleader lawsuit

Posted on June 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a story in Vanity Fair about the second lawsuit filed against the Houston Texans by a group of former cheerleaders, who allege wage theft and harassment, among other things. The tale is from the perspective of plaintiff Gabriella Davis, … Continue reading →

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TDCJ, here’s your moment in the sexual harassment spotlight

Posted on June 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Please learn from it. More than a decade after a sexual assault scandal rocked the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the agency is still a “boys’ club” plagued by sexual harassment and a culture that makes it difficult for women … Continue reading →

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State Senate finally updates its sexual harassment policy

Posted on June 2, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We’d been waiting. The Texas Senate has adopted a new sexual harassment policy that mandates in-person anti-sexual harassment training for senators and offers more details on specific steps for reporting inappropriate behavior. The Senate’s policy, which was sent out to … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

State House remembers it was going to do something about sexual harassment

Posted on May 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s something. Months after reports detailed a pervasive culture of sexual harassment at the state Capitol, Texas House Speaker Joe Straus on Wednesday announced another measure to address the issue. Straus, a Republican who will retire early next year, created … Continue reading →

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Someone needs to sue Blake Farenthold

Posted on April 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

That’s my response to this. Four months after U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold promised to repay an $84,000 sexual harassment settlement funded by taxpayers — and 11 days after the Republican resigned his Corpus Christi seat — he has yet to … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

More fire department sexual harassment allegations

Posted on April 3, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Welcome to the Woodlands. When she began her job at the fire department of The Woodlands Township in July 2013, Julie Thomas believed her skin was sufficiently thick to endure a work environment dominated almost entirely by “men with big … Continue reading →

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More on the HFD sex discrimination lawsuit

Posted on March 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Is anyone surprised that a lot more female firefighters have come forward to describe incidents of harassment at HFD since the initial story was published? Because if you are, I don’t think you’ve been paying much attention to the news … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Shipley responds to harassment allegations

Posted on March 15, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Admit nothing, deny everything, make counter-accusations. The sexual harassment lawsuit filed against the owner of Shipley Do-Nuts this month is the latest in an ongoing legal fight between the doughnut maker and other former workers over an alleged fraud scheme. … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Oh, no, Shipley’s

Posted on March 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Disgusting. Three former Shipley Do-Nuts employees are suing the company’s owner for allegedly groping them and making racist remarks, accusations that are consistent with a bevy of civil rights lawsuits filed by former workers since 2004. The women claim that … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

We have no idea how many sexual harassment complaints there have been at the Capitol

Posted on March 3, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

And we have a too zealous records retention policy to blame for that. Late last year, amid a national reckoning over sexual misconduct in politics, media and entertainment, reports surfaced of a pervasive culture of sexual harassment at the Texas … Continue reading →

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Feds sue city over HFD sex discrimination claims

Posted on March 2, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Yikes. The Justice Department has sued the city of Houston over sex discrimination claims launched by two female firefighters who say their male coworkers tormented them by urinating on the women’s bathroom walls and sinks and scrawling vulgar slurs on … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Looks like the House just totally solved its sexual harassment problem

Posted on January 23, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

They went and got themselves a new training video. Woo hoo! [I]t’s a 40-minute video that seems unlikely to change the toxic atmosphere at the statehouse any time soon. The training is a video of a PowerPoint presentation with a … Continue reading →

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The Alley Theater debacle

Posted on January 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

What a mess. More than a dozen current and former Alley Theatre employees say the outgoing artistic director, Gregory Boyd, created a toxic work environment at the city’s most renowned theater, describing him as a tyrant who frequently singled out … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Society and cultcha | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Still grappling with how to handle sexual harassment claims

Posted on January 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I like the idea of putting the authority to investigate harassment claims in the Legislature into an independent body. Calls for independence between sexual misconduct investigations and those in power have grown in recent months, and experts and several lawmakers … Continue reading →

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Senate has a hearing on its sexual harassment policy

Posted on December 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The babiest of baby steps. There has only been one official sexual harassment complaint in the Texas Senate since 2001, the secretary of the Senate said Thursday. The Senate Administration Committee debated possible ways to revise current sexual harassment policy … Continue reading →

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Farenthold changes course

Posted on December 15, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Sort of. U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Corpus Christi, will retire from Congress after finishing his current term, a source close to the congressman told The Tribune Thursday morning. Farenthold soon confirmed the decision in an emotional video posted on Facebook.The … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018, Scandalized! | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

So now that names have been named, now what?

Posted on December 11, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe some hearings? I don’t know. Texas leaders called for a review of sexual harassment policies at the state Legislature following a Texas Tribune story detailing how current procedures offered little protection for victims and describing a wide range of harassment at the … Continue reading →

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Farenthold draws a crowd of opponents

Posted on December 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Bring ’em on. Bech Bruun, chairman of the Texas Water Development Board, resigned Thursday from that position ahead of an anticipated bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Corpus Christi. “Serving as the Chairman of the Texas Water Development Board … Continue reading →

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That sexual harassment day of reckoning in Texas politics has begun

Posted on December 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The Daily Beast follows up its initial reporting about the secret sexual predators of Texas politics with a story that names names. Two names, in particular. Rather than excerpt at length, allow me to quote the Texas Monthly Daily Post … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

Lege updates sexual harassment policy

Posted on December 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good, and about time. Members of the Texas House approved a new sexual harassment policy Friday with significant changes, including language strengthening protections against retaliation and specific steps for reporting inappropriate behavior. The revised policy, which was adopted during a … Continue reading →

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Hey, remember that harassment lawsuit against Rep. Blake Farenthold?

Posted on December 4, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I’m just gonna leave this right here. Rep. Blake Farenthold used taxpayer money to settle a sexual harassment claim brought by his former spokesman — the only known sitting member of Congress to have used a little-known congressional account to … Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Smokey Joe will not run for re-election

Posted on December 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Another one bites the dust. Embattled U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Ennis, announced his retirement from Congress on Thursday. “I am very proud of my public record and the many accomplishments of my office. It has been a tremendous honor to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Lege needs a sexual harassment process

Posted on November 15, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This is unacceptable. As sexual misconduct accusations pile up against men in power across the country, interviews with more than two dozen current and former lawmakers and legislative aides indicate sexual harassment not only is pervasive at the Texas Capitol … Continue reading →

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The secret sexual predators of Texas politics

Posted on November 10, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Come in, sit down, make yourself comfortable. Maybe a nice cup of hot tea? There now, all settled in? Good. Now steel yourselves and read this. More than a year before the now-infamous “shitty media men” list, women in Texas’s statehouse … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The GLSEN 2015 National School Climate Survey

Posted on January 17, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

A lot of the stuff we talk about when we discuss Dan Patrick’s bathroom bill is business – the opposition from businesses, the political ramifications of a GOP/business schism, the economics of the bathroom bill, etc etc etc. But schools … Continue reading →

Posted in School days, Society and cultcha | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Dan Patrick doesn’t care about sexual assault

Posted on October 14, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Such a moral exemplar you are, Danno. Amid a wave of reports of women alleging Donald Trump kissed or groped them without their consent, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrickmaintained Thursday that the Republican presidential nominee has effectively pushed the issue behind … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Good riddance to a bad judge

Posted on September 24, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Meet federal district judge Walter Smith. Now say a long overdue goodbye to him. One of Texas’ strictest federal judges — serving a year’s ban from hearing cases after being slapped hard by a panel of appeals court judges last … Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized! | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The phony “bathroom” issue

Posted on October 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I am so tired of this. Although Houston’s 36-page equal rights ordinance makes no mention of public restrooms, access to restrooms has become the focus of a raging public debate with the law set to go before voters on election … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2015 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Ethics investigator clears Farenthold

Posted on October 4, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news for a controversial Congressman. Ethics investigators struck a blow Monday to an ex-House staffer’s sexual harassment claims against Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas, nine months after the fired communications director filed suit in District of Columbia court. The … Continue reading →

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Farenthold replies to the lawsuit against his office

Posted on February 16, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Corpus Christi, has formally denied a former employee’s claims that he sexually harassed and discriminated against her. Instead, he fired the staffer for “poor performance and failure to report to work,” his legal … Continue reading →

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The Farenthold files

Posted on January 26, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Farenthold lawsuit continues to have promise as the underrated scandal of the year. In his first interview since the suit was filed in December, [Rep. Blake] Farenthold said he was shocked by the allegations made by Lauren Greene, the … Continue reading →

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