Perhaps you recall the story of Liza Friedlander, the lesbian who said she was attacked by a manager while trying to dine with friends at "her favorite breakfast spot," a Sizzler in Forest Hills, Queens? More than a year after the incident, Friedlander has been awarded a $25,000 settlement.
If you don't remember the case, here's how Friedlander's lawyers at Lambda Legal describe the incident:
On September 18, 2010, Liza Friedlander and two friends went to the breakfast buffet at Sizzler Restaurant 0489, in the Forest Hills section of Queens. What was intended as a relaxing, enjoyable meal turned into a horrifying ordeal of discrimination, violence and degradation. In front of other restaurant patrons, restaurant manager Edgar Orellana shoved Friedlander in the chest, causing her to fall backward, and kicked her while yelling for her to get out of the restaurant and calling her a "fucking dyke."
The dining room quickly devolved into a threatening scene when patrons began terrorizing Friedlander, screaming at her, and spewing homophobic and hate-filled epithets. A male diner yelled at her, called her a "he-she freak" and demanded that she leave the restaurant. Another man threw objects at Friedlander. He threatened to take Friedlander outside and sexually assault her, saying he would show her "what a dick is." Fearful for Friedlander's safety, her friends frantically called 911, as did others at the restaurant during this terrifying ordeal. Police arrived, and a bruised and battered Friedlander was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital.
Friedlander says that though on that day she "felt helpless, humiliated and frightened," the tidy settlement and vindication in court has made her "so proud that I stood up and did something about it. No one should have to go through a nightmare like that."
Now maybe with the extra dough she's getting she can afford a better favorite breakfast joint? There are so many good (and gay-friendly) options in the city...
