Seamus Johnston, 22, is a Pennsylvania transman who was expelled from The University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown for using the men’s locker room on the campus in January, despite the University’s order that he not do so. Pitt-Johnstown also filed three misdemeanor charges against Mr. Johnston relative to the incident, charging him with disorderly conduct, defiant trespass and indecent exposure.
Mr. Johnston has now filed a complaint with the Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations charging the University of Pittsburgh with discrimination, alleging that the school violated the Pittsburgh city code relating to sex and handicap. Mr. Johnston was adjudged to be fully disabled by the Social Security Administration last May “for a variety of emotional liabilities including gender identity disorder”. Mr. Johnston has been on hormone therapy for 10 months.
Specifically charged with knowing of or allowing the discrimination to continue are Chancellor Mark Nordeberg, Provost Patricia Beeson, General Counsel Jerome Cochran and attorney Ted Fritz. Pitt and the individuals have 30 days to respond to the complaint.
The University of Pittsburgh is not taking Mr. Johnston’s complaints lightly. Due to a series of bomb threats at Pitt’s Oakland Campus (which is the downtown Pittsburgh branch of Pitt), Pitt apparently gave Mr. Johnston’s name as a possible suspect as a disgruntled student. FBI agents interviewed Johnston and his transwoman wife, Katherine Anne McCloskey, 56, on April 11. On April 12, Johnston and McCloskey were subpoenaed to appear before a federal grand jury investigating the bomb threats on April 17.
McCloskey and Johnston said they believe Pitt officials gave their names to federal investigators because of an ongoing legal dispute Johnston has with the university.