Lesbian Firefighter Awarded $1.3 Million in Harrassment Settlement
according to The Kansas City Star, and will be awarded to the 61-year-old in exchange for her retiring from the fire department and agreeing to drop two lawsuits alleging discrimination based on her gender, sexual orientation, and age.Reynolds also promised not to file a third lawsuit based on an incident in which a fellow firefighter allegedly urinated on things in her office in 2023 while she was on extended medical leave.Reynolds joined the department in 2003 after graduating from the fire academy at age 40.Over the next two decades, she claimed to have been subjected to mistreatment and abuse by fellow firefighters and superiors due to being a woman, a lesbian, and older than most of her peers, as detailed in a report from the Star. Reynolds said her colleagues repeatedly demeaned and challenged her authority during emergency calls, even screaming or swearing at her in front of patients and others.