Ex-Playboy Staffer Files Discrimination Lawsuit

April 8, 2009

Playboy magazine’s former fashion director claims he was fired because of his sexual orientation and his age.

Joseph DeAcetis filed a lawsuit in Manhattan Supreme Court saying the magazine’s editorial director “made fun” of him because he is gay and his hair was gray. The lawsuit says that the editorial director referred to homosexuals as “girls.”

The 45-year-old DeAcetis became a staffer at Playboy in 2005.

He says his duties were gradually given to a younger, straight male assistant and a straight female editor.

Elizabeth Austin, a spokeswoman for Chicago-based Playboy Enterprises, says the company “takes these allegations very seriously” and has been investigating internally.
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Information from: New York Post