CHICAGO (CN) - A former employee of the Rainbow Push Coalition, who is gay, claims he was sexually harassed by the Rev. Jesse Jackson and his staff, forced to clean up after Jackson's sexual escapades with women in hotel rooms, and that the discrimination culminated with his firing two days before Christmas in 2009.
Tommy R. Bennett sued the Rainbow Push Coalition and Jesse Jackson Sr. in Cook County Court. They are the only parties to the complaint.
Bennett says his sexual orientation was well known due to his appearances as the gay "Aruba Tommy" on the nationally syndicated radio program, the "Tom Joyner Morning Show."
Bennett says he worked in three positions for the Rainbow Push Coalition, for 60 to 70 hours a week, from July 2007 until Dec. 23, 2009.
He was hired as national director of community affairs, where he "was in charge of voter registration, volunteer service, the prison program, the legal clinic and membership," according to his complaint. He says he later became de facto national field director and Jackson's travel assistant.
Bennett says the discrimination against him began "almost immediately" after he was hired, because of his sexual orientation.
According to the complaint: "Caroline Wiggins, the membership and volunteer coordinator, went to Rev. Jackson to speak with him and inform him that she did not want to be under his supervision because Mr. Bennett is homosexual.
"Rev. Jackson moved Ms. Wiggins from under Mr. Bennett's supervision and put her under the supervision of the field director, Rev. Livingston. Mr. Bennett was informed of this by Rev. Livingston.
"Ms. Wiggins told the entire staff that she was glad that she did not have to answer to Mr. Bennett, a homosexual ..."
Bennett says that "From that point forward, Ms. Wiggins would make a limp wrist gesture towards Mr. Bennett whenever Mr. Bennett walked down the hallway."
He says that after she was transferred, "Ms. Wiggins led a prayer during a volunteer meeting and in her prayer, heard throughout the office, she stated, 'Bind these homosexual spirits that are in our office' and 'get these homosexuals out of here and do it in Jesus' name.'"
Bennett says the prayer obviously was directed at him, as he was the only openly gay Rainbow Push employee at that time. He says he filed an in-house complaint "about Ms. Wiggins' discriminatory conduct," and that as far he knows "no investigation or action was taken in response," but "Ms. Wiggins left soon after Mr. Bennett filed the complaint."
Then, he says, a female attorney, Tamara Holder, pushed him out of his job as director of the coalition's legal clinic, because he is male and homosexual.
The complaint continues: "In 2008, at the Rainbow Push Coalition all-staff planning meeting for the National Convention, Mr. Bennett requested a LGBT table and discussion. Mr. Bennett was told by Rev. Jackson that it was not part of the agenda. When Mr. Bennett questioned why not, Rev. Jackson cursed at Mr. Bennett in front of all of the staff. Rev. Jackson was visibly upset during the rest of the meeting."
Bennett claims he became de facto national field director in 2008 when the Rev. Livingston went on sick leave to care for his dying parents. Also that year, he says, he was appointed Jackson's travel assistant, when Jackson's former assistant resigned to become chief of staff to a congresswoman.