Julian Carter is a bright-eyed young plaintiff in what may be the first lawsuit involving gender discrimination at a college level. He is suing his school for discriminating against him on the basis of his sexual orientation. Mr. Carter is suing because he was denied admission to a medical school because of his sexual orientation. Mr. Carter is an honors student from Houston, Texas, majoring in journalism and media studies and minoring in math and Spanish at Rutgers University. At Rutgers, he is also participating in the Rutgers dance marathon and is currently working as an intern with the university’s admissions department.
Mr. Carter is suing because he was denied membership to a medical school on the basis of his sexual orientation. According to the lawsuit, which was filed in state court in New Jersey, the admitting agent at the medical school, had said to Mr. Carter that he could not attend the school because he is gay and would turn him away, a comment which he found offensive. This caused Mr. Carter great harm and suffering because, in his words, “Mr. Carter suffered from acute nausea and was unable to eat or consume food.”
The complaint also states that the admitting agent made it clear to Mr. Carter that if he were denied admission, that he could file a lawsuit against the college for discrimination and that he would tell anyone who would listen about how unjust it was. Mr. Carter’s lawsuit further states that after he was denied membership, he began to suffer from depression and even had suicidal thoughts. This caused his grades to slip and his grades to fall. All of this has caused Mr. Carter to delay his graduation, which in itself causes financial and emotional hardships.
Mr. Carter’s lawsuit also names the admitting agent, David Pepper, as well as the Medical School, the State University, the League of Higher Education Accreditation Commission, the Department of Education, the New Jersey State Athletic Association, the State Bar, the New Jersey State Athletic Training Commission, the New Jersey State Board on Licensing and the New Jersey State Rugby Football Club as defendants. It is hoped that through this lawsuit, discrimination will be prevented in the future from taking place. Mr. Carter’s lawsuit demands compensation for all of his losses and damages, including the costs of medical bills, mental agony and embarrassment, past and future medical treatment costs, loss of pay from missing work, future loss of income from not being able to work, pain and suffering, emotional distress, embarrassment and future loss of earning capacity.
On the day that Mr. Carter filed his lawsuit, Mr. Carter stated that he was given the same apology by each defendant that he received from the College. The statement was included in a statement of facts given to the court by Mr. Carter. Mr. Carter has since given an additional statement in support of the lawsuit and is represented by his former college. The fact that Mr. Carter has given this support is significant because, in many cases, people who have been discriminated against are not given the chance to tell their story or to seek recompense. The statement also supports Mr. Carter’s claims that the College knew or should have known about the discrimination.
The discrimination occurred while Mr. Carter was participating in a spring athletic program. Mr. Carter fell out of love with the school and his coach at the time. Because of the fall out of love, Mr. Carter failed to achieve the goals that he had set during his high school career. Due to the negative experiences that he has had while a student at the School, Mr. Carter has filed a lawsuit in an attempt to prove that he has been discriminated against. He is looking for monetary compensation for all of his losses and the long term impact this has had on his life.