Antone DeSouza, a former Rhode Island state worker, is suing the Ocean State and former State Property Management Director David Patten for anti-LGBT job discrimination. DeSouza alleges “that he was passed over for promotions based on his sexual orientation, which he disclosed to his supervisors in 2017, according to his complaint,” reports The Providence Journal:
DeSouza previously worked for the division of capital asset management and maintenance for more than two decades beginning in 1999, and starting in 2020, he worked primarily at the Rhode Island Veterans Home Community Living Center in Bristol.
He alleges that Carole Cornelison, the former director of his division, made derogatory comments about his sexual orientation and made homophobic comments while conducting official business on behalf of the state.
Patten resigned from his post in June 2023 after being accused of misconduct during a trip months earlier to Philadelphia to vet a state contractor.
An unsigned memo to the Department of Administration released to The Journal after a records request alleged he “made some off-handed comments that we deemed homophobic in nature. Specifically alluding to choices of alcoholic drinks, driving and innuendos regarding workplace relationships.”
Patten apologized for what he described, through his lawyer, Michael Lynch, as an “acute stress event.”
Patten and Cornelison are not named defendants in the case but are named in the lawsuit, which was brought against the state Department of Administration.
Patten and Cornelison are not named defendants in the case but are named in the lawsuit, which was brought against the state Department of Administration.
DeSouza’s lawsuit claims he applied in 2021 for a position as chief of property management and was placed on the eligibility list but was not accepted for an interview.
Read the complete Providence Journal article here.
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