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Dessert Gallery LGBTQ Discrimination Lawsuit Dropped

Local bakery says it will continue its commitment to promoting employee diversity and inclusion.

Two federal lawsuits alleging that a Houston bakery discriminated against three LGBTQ employees have been dropped. 

Gilbert Johnson, a gay man, and Katherine Phillips, a lesbian woman, sued Dessert Gallery in February after being fired one day apart. Both plaintiffs, represented by local attorney and LGBTQ activist Fran Watson, claimed they were wrongfully terminated based on their sexual orientation. Their lawsuits also stated that a transgender employee was terminated shortly after they were. 

On July 30, Johnson and Phillips chose to voluntarily dismiss their claims without receiving any compensatory damages. 

Sara Brook, Dessert Gallery CEO

Dessert Gallery, a sponsor of OutSmart magazine, issued the following statement regarding the lawsuits being dropped: 

We are pleased that the plaintiffs, Gilbert Johnson and Katherine Phillips, chose to voluntarily dismiss their claims without receipt of any monetary amounts. We have always believed that these claims lacked any merit and stood firm in our position that these allegations were simply not true. We will remain focused on our ongoing commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion in the workforce as well as continuing our partnership with and support of Houston’s LGBTQIA+ community.

We are forever appreciative of our current team who have braved the storms along with us, and forever thankful to our customers that continued to support us and counted on us to live out our core values of raving fan service, delivering excellence, being skilled, competent and cooperative, offering gracious and positive service with peace, love and sprinkles, and truly making the world a sweeter place!

We are proud to be the recipient of a 2021 Houston Business Journal Diversity in Business Award. Our CEO, Sara Brook, was also named as the Most Admired CEO by Houston Business Journal this year. As part of our ongoing support of Houston’s LGBTQIA+ community, we are a member of the Greater Houston LGBT Chamber, and furthered our support by becoming a 2021 Pride in Business Sponsor. Sara was nominated as a finalist to serve as Pride Houston’s Ally Grand Marshal. We’ve also been voted by Houston’s leading LGBTQ publication, OutSmart, as a “Gayest & Greatest” award-winner for the last several years.

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