{"id":2881,"date":"2019-02-08T11:22:13","date_gmt":"2019-02-08T17:22:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tuvmag.com\/?p=2881"},"modified":"2019-02-08T11:23:55","modified_gmt":"2019-02-08T17:23:55","slug":"dr-davin-clemons-exclusive-interview-usa-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tuvmag.com\/index.php\/2019\/02\/08\/dr-davin-clemons-exclusive-interview-usa-today\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr. Davin Clemons Exclusive Interview with USA Today"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr. Davin Clemons on his experience in the Memphis Police Department, his federal lawsuit against the department and his current role at the MPD.\u00a0USA TODAY<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

In some cases, officers were able to survive the public scrutiny that comes with suing their police department \u2014 and even continue advocating for LGBT people.<\/p>\n

Check out this video on USA TODAY: https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/videos\/news\/2019\/02\/07\/memphis-police-lgbtq-liaison-speaks-out\/2801981002\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Officer Davin Clemons\u00a0filed suit in 2016<\/a>\u00a0for the sexual orientation discrimination he says he endured at the Memphis Police Department in Tennessee.<\/p>\n

When he got engaged, Clemons said his colleagues mocked him. No one ever showered in the police department\u2019s bathroom while he did, Clemons said, because he is gay.<\/p>\n

Supervisors allegedly expressed displeasure about the attention Clemons brought to the unit as department LGBTQ liaison. They held him to a different standard, including assigning him mandatory overtime and unfairly disciplining him for a driving accident in inclement weather, his lawsuit alleges.<\/p>\n

His close-knit, elite law enforcement unit prized hypermasculinity, A-type personalities and conformity, Clemons said. And as a black, gay man with groomed eyebrows and manicured fingernails, he was different.<\/p>\n

“Anybody who doesn’t fit is an outsider,” Clemons said.<\/p>\n

Clemons filed internal complaints, charges with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and eventually his lawsuit citing Memphis’s 2014 anti-discrimination ordinance. The city\u00a0denied his claims<\/a>\u00a0and began settling in 2017, agreeing to increase LGBT sensitivity training. The Memphis Police Department declined to comment on Clemons’ lawsuit.<\/p>\n

The police department has actively participated since 2016 in the city’s efforts\u00a0to make Memphis a more inclusive workplace, said Alexandria\u00a0Smith, the city’s\u00a0chief human resources officer. Today, Memphis has\u00a0a LGBTQ employee resource\u00a0group\u00a0and also recruits officers at Pride fairs.<\/p>\n

\"Memphis<\/p>\n

Memphis police officer and LGBTQ liaison for the department, Dr. Davin D. Clemons, who sued for discrimination against the MPD in 2014, chats with attendees during his Memphis City Council run kickoff party in downtown Memphis, Tenn. on Jan. 31, 2019.\u00a0(Photo: Joe Rondone, The Commercial Appeal via USA TODAY NETWORK)<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

“We really want to open our doors to\u00a0a variety of individuals to come and work for us,” Smith said.<\/p>\n

Clemons said that while the lawsuit put stress on everyone involved, he believes suing ended the homophobic harassment and improved his workplace environment. He did not take a leave of absence during the litigation. Months after settling, he transferred to the training academy. He kept his role as LGBTQ community liaison and is running for City Council.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr. Davin Clemons on his experience in the Memphis Police Department, his federal lawsuit against the department and his current role at the MPD.\u00a0USA TODAY In some cases, officers were able to survive the public scrutiny that comes with suing their police department \u2014 and even continue advocating for LGBT people. Check out this video <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2884,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,7],"tags":[155,759,760,762,761,758],"class_list":["post-2881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community-news","category-empowering-conversations","tag-davin-clemons","tag-district-6-memphis-city-council","tag-dr-clemons","tag-lgbt-liasion-for-police-departments","tag-lgbt-police-officers","tag-memphis-city-council"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n