Alphonso David Hits Back at HRC Firing Over Assisting Cuomo with Sexual Harassment Suits
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Alphonso David, the Human Rights Campaign’s first African-American president has come out fighting after being fired by the organization for cause for assisting Governor Andrew Cuomo fight against sexual harassment accusations that led to him stepping down in August.
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The New York Times: Alphonso David, the president of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest L.G.B.T.Q. advocacy organization, was ousted by the group’s board on Monday night over a report revealing that he had advised former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on how to handle sex harassment allegations.
Mr. David was terminated “for cause” in separate votes by the boards of the Human Rights Campaign and its affiliated foundation after the two boards held a joint meeting. Beyond two abstentions from the foundation board, the votes were unanimous.
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Mr. David’s removal is the latest fallout from the report by Letitia James, the New York State attorney general, describing allegations of sexual harassment by Mr. Cuomo, and efforts by his aides to retaliate against the former governor’s accusers. Mr. Cuomo resigned in August after the report outlined 11 allegations and described a toxic work environment.
A person familiar with the deliberations among the board of the Human Rights Campaign said that Mr. David never told the organization that he was helping to advise Mr. Cuomo when the accusations came to light. The person said Mr. David did not consult the group’s counsel, or tell them that he was going to be interviewed by Ms. James’s office.
Mr. David said he would fight his firing. “As a Black, gay man who has spent his whole life fighting for civil and human rights, they cannot shut me up,” he said in a Twitter post late Monday. “Expect a legal challenge.”
Update from Alphonso David pic.twitter.com/PAtqcEwvBg
— Alphonso David (@AlphonsoDavid) September 7, 2021
Earlier, the co-chairs of the board, Morgan Cox and Jodie Patterson, said in a statement that they had decided to end Mr. David’s role “effective immediately, for violations of his contract with the Human Rights Campaign.”
Mr. David’s latest update on Instagram:
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“Yesterday and today, Mr. David released a statement that included significant untruths about the investigation and his status with the organization,” Mr. Cox and Ms. Patterson said.
The review was conducted by members of the H.R.C. executive committee. They determined that Mr. David had a conflict of interest in advising Mr. Cuomo’s office, and that his efforts created reputational damage to the organization. Joni Madison, the chief operating officer for the group, will become the interim president while a search takes place for Mr. David’s successor.
