Salem-Keizer School Board member named in lawsuit against Department of Human Services
Update: This article has been updated to include a statement from Ashley Carson Cottingham. A transgender state employee is suing the Oregon Depart...
Update: This article has been updated to include a statement from Ashley Carson Cottingham. A transgender state employee is suing the Oregon Department of Human Services claiming that he was demoted and denied multiple opportunities to advance within the department due to his gender identity despite multiple meetings with supervisors about his qualifications and experience. Load Error The lawsuit filed April 17 and seeking $650,000 was first reported by the Oregon Capital Chronicle. Alex Pelusi moved from Illinois to Oregon in 2016 to join the Aging and People with Disabilities Program within DHS as an "Executive Support Specialist," a role he was "overqualified for," according to the lawsuit, but one he took after Ashley Carson Cottingham promised to "start his career with the State.