Gay man fired by Catholic Diocese of Richmond files federal lawsuit

A man allegedly fired in April 2015 by the Catholic Diocese of Richmond for being gay has filed a federal lawsuit claiming discrimination.

John M. Murphy claims in court papers filed this month that just eight days into his job as executive director of the St. Francis Home in Richmond, two diocese officials visited his office — Chief Financial Officer Michael McGee and Human Resources Officer Dorothy Mahanes.

Murphy is suing St. Francis. He is claiming that the home, which is listed “as a Ministry of the Catholic Diocese of Richmond” on its website, discriminated against him because of his sexual orientation.

Murphy alleges that on the day McGee and Mahanes visited his office, the pair said they had learned he was gay, a fact he confirmed.

Read more: http://www.richmond.com/news/virginia/ap/article_6ad8142c-a71c-502d-88ef-258ae67368ef.html