Palm Springs Police Chief Caught Using Violent Anti-Gay Slurs Offers Awkward Apology, Second Anoka-Hennepin Teacher Accused Of Bullying Student In 2008 Files Suit Against Minnesota Claiming To Be Victimized Because His Right To Privacy Violated

Palm Springs Police Chief David Dominguez offered an anaemic apology Tuesday, the Desert Sun reporting that Dominguez, caught on tape calling gay men “filthy cocksuckers,” said he was sorry for making “an inappropriate comment” during a September, 2009 Warm Sands sex sting that targeted gay men. Dominguez added that the comment “did not display the utmost professional conduct expected from the Chief of Police and I sincerely apologise to the community at large.” His attempt at an apology arrives an hour after City Manager David Ready released a memo to the Palm Springs City Council outlining conclusions and regrets about the manner in which the controversial sting to curtail public gay sex in the neighbourhood unfolded, Ready in part concluding that “Portions of the operation were not concluded according to the professional standards that are expected of our Police Department. As a result, appropriate disciplinary and correction actions have already been taken,” although it is not clear what those actions entailed or if Dominguez was one of those disciplined. The sting is the source of continuing controversy since all 19 men of those men arrested on suspicion of lewd conduct face charges that would require them to register as sex offenders for life on a national datebase available only to authorities.

Late last week, reports the Pioneer Press, an Anoka-Hennepin school district teacher, Walter Filson, filing suit against the state of Minnesota claiming that his right to privacy was violated when officials disclosed his name in a case of alleged anti-gay harassment of a student. In 2008, Filson was a teacher at the Secondary Technical Education Program in Anoka, where it is alleged he volunteered Alex Merritt, who is not gay, for a fashion show, telling the class “because he enjoys wearing women’s clothing.” Another teacher, Diane Cleveland, is also accused of harassing Merritt (allegedly she said the student had a “thing for older men), also filed suit against the state, claiming she was the victim. In May, 2008, one of Merritt’s parents filed harassment charges with the Department of Human Rights, and in the late spring of 2009, the department ruled that the school district was liable for discrimination. The family received a financial settlement.