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GAY SAN DIEGO
July 30-August 12, 2010
Airport Authority suspends transgender employee
By Margie M. Palmer | GSD Reporter Toni Witten, the transgender
San Diego Airport traffic officer recently suspended for “sexually harassing coworkers,” received final notification as to the results of her Skelly hearing, which allowed her to respond
Toni Witten
to the Authority’s proposed disciplinary action for accused violations of conduct. According to the initial
complaint, Witten was accused of threatening a Cloud 9 shuttle driver and exhibiting “hostile and unprofessional” conduct while interacting with an airline passenger. Witten, who was placed on
paid administrative review on June 9, felt the allegations were unfounded and based not on job performance but on her decision to come out as transgendered in October 2009. The Authority, however, came
to an alternate conclusion, and its initially proposed disciplinary action of a 40-day suspension without pay, as well as the “successful completion of a mandatory
one-on-one counseling program with a professional selected by management,” was upheld. “I expected the ruling,”
Witten told Gay San Diego. “They realize if they admit fault in any way it brings them into liability.” On July 26, Witten had
her final appeal with the vice president of the Planning Division, Angela Schaefer-Payne. “I expect her to rubber-
stamp[the Authority’s] decision,” Witten said, prior to the hearing. “At this point, appealing my case to her is strictly a matter of following procedure.” Asked what her desired
resolution to the case would be, Witten remains uncertain. “I think the Authority
could start by retraining the management in my department,” she said. “And a lawsuit is definitely an option at this point.” Witten said she has already
met with a local attorney to discuss the matter. “I had also filed a complaint
with the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) in June, and they have determined I have a valid complaint based on the way I was treated by managers and co-workers,” she said. “It’s been indicated DFEH would proceed with the complaint if I so desire.” The Airport Authority declined to comment on the case. ☭
Diane Jean and Chris Clobber, founders and producers of University Heights-based Brew Ha Ha Entertainment. (Courtesy Diane Jean)
By Christy Scannell | GSD Senior Editor Diane Jean’s motivation for
starting a comedy club wasn’t all that amusing. “As a woman, regardless of how talented you are, it’s really
hard to get stage time,” she said. “I like to say [comedy venues] have a ‘one vagina limit.’” Add sexual orientation
or race to the mix, she said, and a comic’s chance of performing, let alone headlining, drops dramatically. That’s why Jean and partner Chris Clobber—both comedians themselves—launched Brew Ha Ha Entertainment in University Heights last November. “I had to do it so I could get
stage time,” she said. “There are only a couple of places to do comedy in San Diego and they’re run by straight white men. That’s not to say they don’t [feature] gay comics or women; it’s just very limited.” An intimate room adjacent
to behind Twiggs Coffee House hosts the 90-minute Saturday evening shows where diversity is encouraged—but swearing is not.
Brew Ha Ha East with Sarah Burford, Sean Wherley, Lauren Holiday and Larry Tadlock Aug. 1, 6 p.m. Gio Bistro Wine Bar 8384 La Mesa Blvd. La Mesa
brewhahaentertainment.com (619) 922-9057
“We want to attract an older,
more intelligent audience,” Jean said. “That’s not to say young people don’t appreciate what we’re doing, but our people don’t want to see that kind of show (with foul language).” Jean knows all about playing to her audience. She ran a stand-
see Comedy, pg 11
NEWS
www.gay-sd.com
Discrimination in comedy creates Brew Ha Ha Gay/lesbian comics to perform Aug. 1 in La Mesa
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