Peter story raises questions: Cover up?
It’s not that the story itself is not the story. It certainly ranks right up there with man bites dog.
But the way it was covered here locally, and in Philadelphia raises (no pun intended) a lot of questions.
One local paper ignored it completely as did (no surprise) the local TV. Too much like “hard news”. No pun intended. Well…maybe a little.
The other local paper took it’s copy direct from the Associated Press.
The story? AP had this:
Suit: Prosthetic penis led to Pa. woman’s firing
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SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) — A northeastern Pennsylvania woman claims she was fired from her job for wearing a prosthetic penis to work while contemplating gender reassignment.
Pauline Davis filed a federal civil rights lawsuit Wednesday against J&J Snack Foods Corp. over her termination from the company’s plant in Moosic, near Scranton.
Davis says she wore the prosthetic to work as a line inspector, informing some co-workers who passed in the information along to management. According to the suit Davis was fired even though the device didn’t interfere with her work.
Davis’ suit claims a male employee undergoing hormone treatments and female clothing was treated more favorably.
The suit was first reported by the Philadelphia Daily News. A phone message left by The Associated Press at New Jersey-based J&J was not immediately returned Friday.
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Whereas the Philadelphia Daily News got this:
Woman says her fake penis got her fired
BY DANA DiFILIPPO
Philadelphia Daily Newsdifilid@phillynews.com 215-854-5934
Lawsuit claims hard feelings by employer
IS THAT a Fruit-A-Freeze in your pocket – or are you just happy to see me?
A northeastern Pennsylvania woman is suing a South Jersey-based maker of frozen treats and other snack foods, claiming that she was wrongfully fired because she wore a prosthetic penis to work.
Pauline Davis, 45, wore the device to the J&J Snack Foods plant in Moosic, Lackawanna County, while she contemplated a gender change, according to a federal civil-rights complaint filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Scranton. She confided in several co-workers about the device, and someone told management, according to the complaint.
She subsequently was fired from her job as a packer/line inspector. Her termination, she claims, was discriminatory because a male co-worker who wore female clothing and prostheses and took hormone treatments was not fired nor disciplined.
Further, argued her Bucks County-based attorney, Lalena J. Turchi, her fake penis was concealed and “in no way interfered with her ability to do her job.”
Davis filed a complaint in March 2010 with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission office in Philadelphia, claiming gender and gender-identity discrimination.
She is seeking back pay, damages for suffering and humiliation, and punitive damages, according to this week’s lawsuit.
The Daily News tried unsuccessfully to reach Davis, of Clifford, a Susquehanna County township north of Scranton, for comment. Her attorneys did not return telephone calls or emails yesterday for comment.
J&J Snack Foods Corp., based in Pennsauken, manufactures, markets and distributes treats including soft pretzels, slushies, frozen pops, cookies and churros. A J&J spokeswoman referred comment to a human-resources supervisor, who did not return our telephone call.
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A LOT more meat (no pun..oh forget it) in the Philly story, which is about 2.5 hours from Moosic. Wilkes-Barre is about 20 mins. Not a long hard drive…sorry.
It will be interesting to see what sort of follow-up the story gets. If it ends in a court, will it conclude in a hung-jury?
Stop me. I can’t help it.
