Ex-Employee Accuses Library of Congress of Discrimination

Complainant says supervisor discriminated against him for being gay

A former employee is accusing the Library of Congress of discrimination.

Peter TerVeer said he was fired for being gay and has filed a complaint.

“I would love to return to work,” TerVeer said Wednesday. “I want my job. I mean, that’s all I want. That’s all I’m asking for.”

TerVeer, who was a management analyst, said he was harassed for more than a year by a supervisor he said repeatedly cited Bible passages condemning homosexuality. He endured a hostile environment because he is gay, he said.

“That I was going to hell and I would never succeed as an employee or as a gay man in society,” TerVeer said.

“It’s totally covered by federal law,” Thomas J. Simeone, TerVeer’s attorney, said. “It happened to be that this person’s religion was directed at Peter’s sexuality.”

TerVeer said that his supervisor wrote to him in an August 2009 email that “Jesus … prohibited sexual immorality, including homosexuality, adultery and pre-marital sex.”

The Library of Congress did not comment to News4 Wednesday but is conducting an investigation it hopes to complete by May.

While a spokesperson for the Library of Congress would not comment on personnel matters, the Library of Congress did send an internal rule that “staff members shall not discriminate on grounds of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability or sexual orientation.”

TerVeer said it has been tough finding another job and he has $12 to his name now.

“The money’s gone,” he said. “I recently was evicted because of this and I’m sitting here now trying to put the pieces of the puzzle back together again.”

TerVeer was fired Friday after being on leave without pay since October.

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