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Two lesbian fitness instructors have slapped gym entrepreneur David Barton with an employment-discrimination suit claiming his gyms are a breeding ground for antigay harassment and that he fosters a "pervasively hostile work environment."
According to the New York Post, Deborah Cooke and Christina Rodino, who are roommates, claim they were let go late last year after having to put up with antigay comments and harassment. They are seeking unspecified damages for lost wages and benefits, and for their "shame, humiliation, embarrassment and mental distress."
In the suit, Cooke claims she was regularly called “Lesbian Deb” and asked by a male coworker "whether she was 'going to strap on a penis tonight.'" They both claim they were asked to “engage in sexual relations with another woman at the workplace."
They also accuse Barton of “molesting female staff members.”
Barton has six gyms in New York, Miami, Chicago, and Seattle. A seventh is expected to open on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles in 2011.
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