A former FDNY probationary firefighter just received an $80,000 payout from the city after suffering months of homophobic abuse, including demands he “have sex with a stripper” to prove he wasn’t gay, from colleagues.
28-year-old Michael Troina claims that firefighters at Ladder Co. 1/Engine Co. 7 in Tribeca subjected him to bizarre hazing rituals and homophobic bullying. Not only that, but management knew and did nothing about it.
According to his lawsuit, which was filed in Manhattan Federal Court in May 2018, the other firefighters would “regularly harass him by encouraging him to have sex with a stripper” and mock him for being a “hyper-feminine homosexual male.”
When they learned Troina liked to play video games, they called him “a loser with no life” who “can’t be a retarded kid forever,” the suit alleges. From then on, they would ask if he “was going to go play some ‘Pokemanz’ Go, because he has no life.”
The suit also says the firefighters made Troina engage in bizarre punishments, including making him “eat orange juice that he brought for his breakfast with a fork from 12 different plates.” Afterwards, they made him wash all the plates.
But one of the most disturbing allegations involved Trioina’s personal vehicle. According to the suit, his “car was vandalized with peanut butter in every door handle, oil and soap was plastered over the entire car, garbage and papers were smashed into the windows while ceiling tiles, boxes and wires were situated to block access to his vehicle all around.”
When Trioina complained to higher-ups about the abuse, he says he was only met with more retaliation. Finally, in December 2016, he was fired. (FDNY claims he resigned.) As a result of the abuse, Trioina suffered from anxiety that required him to go to therapy.
The settlement, which happened quietly last month but was not reported until this week, happened the same week another man from a different FDNY station planned to go to court over allegations that firefighters sexually assaulted him when they forced him to participate in a nude hazing ritual as a rookie.
In a statement, a spokesperson for FDNY said, “We take any instance of misconduct extremely seriously, and settling this case was in the best interests of the city. FDNY has a strict anti-hazing policy and will hold staff accountable when it’s violated.”
Related: Bisexual guard reveals horrific homophobic abuse suffered inside high security prison
Cam
And what repercussions will the people who harassed him receive?
chupacabra
…an hour with you
Sister Bertha Bedderthanyu
Its too bad he didn’t think to buy a spy camera and record the harassment. I just did a google search for a pic of this guy and looking at what came up I am not surprised they (the firefighters) concluded he didn’t fit in and had to go. When you are a firefighter/policeman you want someone whom you know will be able to pull you out of a raging fire in case you became unconscious or you have a few rough suspects you are going to have to show who’s the boss (yes kids, every now and then that happens to police officers who encounter people with no respect for the law or anyone else). This guy chose the wrong career but had he recorded it he might have a good screenplay. You never know but now he never will.
david_warner
Yeah … sure … blame the victim and justify homophobia. You’re just as bad as they are.
gymmuscleboy
@Sister Bertha Bedderthanyu You can tell from Google Images that he’s fit. If he’s not fit enough, then FDNY needs to have a tougher fitness test. As far as the bullying goes, IMO the worst part is the car vandalism. Bullying is not OK but it happens within all groups – from butch firefighters to fem homos, and conservatives to liberals. I think many others suffer worse without coming close to $80k compensation!
chupacabra
well said muscle boy….very well said!
Catholicslutbox
80k is not a lot, for New York, but that’s not even taking into consideration the amount the attorney will we taking.
FDNY does not take harassment seriously. The higher ups are usually the fathers of the ones being d-cks.. so.. It’s been well documented that a lot of them are racist, homophobic, misogynistic assholes. Antisemitic too, but I don’t give two farts about that bit.
djmcgamester
Ah, that sucks he went through that. It takes some serious work, physically speaking, to be able to be a firefighter. It means he really wanted it but some idiots had to deny him.
enlightenone
The “comments” should have stopped after CAM posted!