|
Comment on this article |
View comments |
Email this Article
|
|
Hidden with code "Submitted as Feature" |
|
News :: Civil & Human Rights |
|
Hearing Set For Lesbian Discrimination Case Against Carle Foundation Hospital |
Current rating: 6 |
by Kimberlie Kranich
Email: kakranich (nospam) yahoo.com (verified) |
14 May 2003
|
|
The Urbana Human Relations Officer has found that there is enough evidence supporting a charge of discrimination based on sexual orientation against the hospital and a hearing has been set. |
The Urbana Human Relations Commission tonight set July 9 as the date to hear the case of a former pediatric nurse manager at Carle Foundation Hospital who says the hospital discriminated against her based on her sexual orientation.
Lynn Sprout was fired from her job as a pediatric nurse and manager at Carle Foundation Hospital while caring for her lesbian partner of 18 years who became gravely ill and died. According to Ms. Sprout, unlike married heterosexual employees of the hospital, she was denied family leave to take care of her partner during her illness. She used vacation days instead and when those had run out, her staff donated their vacation time for her so she could make burial arrangements for her partner.
The Urbana Human Rights Ordinance, the law under which the case will be tired, prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and marital status in employment and other categories.
Carle Foundation Hospital denies discriminating against Ms. Sprout and claims she was fired for poor job performance.
Ms. Sprout seeks reinstatement in her former job at Carle Foundation Hospital, back pay for wages lost, and an order that the hospital stop discriminatory behavior against Ms. Sprout or any similarly situated employee, according to a pretrial memorandum prepared by Traci Nally, Ms. Sprout’s attorney who was hired by the City of Urbana to try the case.
Forty members of the grassroots watchdog group, Equality at Carle, filled the seats of the City Hall in support of Ms. Sprout. The first hearing will take place at 5:30pm on Wednesday, July 9 in the Urbana City Hall Building, 400 S. Vine Street, Urbana.
|
|
Photographs Of Human Relations Commission Hearing |
by Ben Grosser
grosser (nospam) uiuc.edu (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
14 May 2003
|
 |
|
These photos were taken at the Urbana Human Rights Commission Meeting referenced in the above article. |
 |
 |
