Ex-Reporter Says She Was Fired for Stripping

(CN) - A former Houston Chronicle society reporter filed a gender discrimination complaint against the paper, claiming it fired her because it found out about her part-time job as an exotic dancer.

In the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint, Sarah Tressler claims the paper fired her for not disclosing her job as a stripper.

"I believe that the stated reason for my termination was pretextual in that I answered the questions that were put to me truthfully in connection with my application for employment. The true reason for my termination was discrimination on account of my gender," Tressler wrote in the complaint.

Tressler's attorney, Gloria Allred, announced the lawsuit at a news conference Thursday in Los Angeles.

"Men who are independent contractors are not fired for work done legally," Allred told reporters.

Tressler's second life was outed by the weekly newspaper Houston Press.

The Houston Press coverage mentions Tressler's blog, "Diary of an Angry Stripper," where she writes: "Sarah started dancing in Houston in 2004 to take her girlfriend on a vacation. She's been dancing at strip clubs on and off ever since. She primarily works at night clubs in Houston. If you see her, give her your wallet."

Tressler recently did an interview for the ABC News program Good Morning America.

"The reason I started dancing, it sort of just boils down to money. The economy was bad and I couldn't get a job at a bookstore so, like a Barnes & Noble," Tressler told ABC News.

Tressler, who holds a bachelor's degree from University of Houston and a master's degree in journalism from New York University, was hired by the Chronicle full-time in January after freelancing for the paper, according to ABC News.

"The idea of someone outing me seemed like such a mean thing to do that I never thought anybody would do it," Tressler told ABC.

Tressler also teaches writing at University of Houston.

"I had three jobs I lost one of them so I have two jobs now," Tressler told ABC News when asked if she was "proud" about her lifestyle.

"I think that I'm doing pretty well, I mean, I was a stripper-reporter-professor and now I'm just a stripper-professor. And I don't think that's too bad," Tressler told ABC.

Since the ABC interview, Tressler has reportedly done contract work for "Good Morning America," covering tornadoes in the Dallas area.

On her blog, Tressler says she is looking forward to publishing the book "Diary of an Angry Stripper," and to releasing an app with the same name "with goodies like pics, video and my stripper workout, Bootycamp!"

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