THE PLAIN DEALER, PRIVAT, PEDRUAKT 24, 1919

Fired homosexual files sex bias complaint

By John Nussbaum A former cochairman of the Gay Activist Alliance

chapter at Case Western Reserve University has charged Midland-Ross Corp. with sex discrimination following his firing as a mail clerk.

Kenneth Straka, 21, of 13468 Clifton Blvd., Lakewood, filed complaints with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the Equal Employment Opportunities (EEOC).

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He said he was bringing the public charges to show other homosexuals the way to fight for their rights.

In the EEOC complaint Straka charges that a dress code Midland-Ross tried to force on him was discriminatory because its ban on flamboyant clothes could not be uniformly applied to men and women. The

NLRB complaint charges the company violated Straka's legal right to organiza when it objected to his attempts to solicit support for his cause among coworkers.

Officials of both federal agencies confirmed the complaints had been accepted and would be processed and investigated in the usual manner.

A Midland-Ross spokesman said, "It has never been our policy to publicly discuss the reasons for discharge of personnel."

Midland-Ross a year ago, Straka went to work for after dropping out of the university. He said he no longer is a member of the gay alliance. The company and his fellow workers learned of his continuing homosexual associations, he said, through an article he wrote last June for Cleveland Magazine. He did not use his full name on the ar-

ticle, but was identifiable through pictures.

He said, “At the time a personnel letter was issued by the industrial relations manager, Dan Monley, condening my actions and citing me for being very brave and doing things that I felt necessary to make the world a little bit better.

"Then the personnel manager unfortunately lost his position, which made my position a bit more shaky considering there was no one of the same opinion that he was."

Monley new is a representative for the EEOC.

The events that led to Straka's firing began Monday, he said.

He said, "I wore a pair of pants that were made of an acetate vinyl that shines a great deal and it caused a great deal of comment.

"By the end of the day

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my boss issued me a memo saying I was no longer permitted to wear anything that was made out of silk or velvet."

On Tuesday, Straka said, he appealed to the industrial relations manager of the plant, Charles Allen, who said the dress code would be enforced.

Straka said he informed the company Wednesday morning he intended to file charges. Two hours later he was fired, he said, with notice this his conduct reflected adversely on the company.

Straka conceded that the company apparently objected more to his dress than to his homosexuality. But he said he felt he had a right to dress as he chooses.

"Had a woman worn my outfit, nothing would have been said about it," he said. "That's why it is discrimi-

Kenneth Straka

nation in sex."

Monley said recent EEOC decisions and court rulings indicate Strakas case may come under equal employment regulations. He said a dress standard for men that did not apply to women may violate EEOC policies unless the company proves "overriding business necessity of job relatedness.”