Gay Man Claims He Was Wrongfully Terminated By Rev. Jesse Jackson

Story by Andrew Davis, Courtesy of the Windy City Times

In a document filled with stunning allegations, Tommy R. Bennett has filed a complaint with the City of Chicago Commission on Human Relations against the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr., and the minister's Chicago-based organization, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, claiming, among other things, harassment and termination on the basis of Bennett's sexual orientation.

Rev. Jackson has a long record of support for LGBT rights, including during his runs for U.S. president and his speech at the LGBT March on Washington in 1987. This is believed to be the first time an allegation has come forward claiming he was involved in sexual orientation harassment and discrimination.

In the complaint, Bennett--who worked at the Rainbow Coalition from July 11, 2007 through Dec. 23, 2009, as the national director of community affairs--says that his sexual orientation was known throughout the workplace primarily because of his side job: being "Aruba Tommy" on the nationally syndicated radio talk program The Tom Joyner Morning Show.

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