Gorilla Foundation rocked by breast display lawsuit

[LVT]

Gorilla Foundation rocked by breast display lawsuit
Former employees say they were told to expose chests
Patricia Yollin, Chronicle Staff Writer

Friday, February 18, 2005


Two former employees of the Gorilla Foundation, home to Koko the "talking" ape, have filed a lawsuit contending that they were ordered to bond with the 33-year-old female simian by displaying their breasts.

Nancy Alperin and Kendra Keller, both of San Francisco, are taking on the Woodside nonprofit and its president, Francine "Penny" Patterson.

Their lawsuit, filed Tuesday in San Mateo County Superior Court, alleges sexual discrimination, wrongful termination in retaliation for reporting health and safety violations, and failure to pay overtime or provide rest breaks.

It seeks more than $1 million total in damages for the two women.

The suit follows complaints filed by Alperin and Keller in January with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, in which they gave identical reasons for why they were fired: "I refused to expose my breast to perform acts of bestiality with one of the gorillas."

more...
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/02/18/BAGM9BDI191.DTL

[Cooley Hurd]

1. Well, if you want an ape to talk...

...ya gotta give him something to talk about, I suppose.:shrug:

[Spinzonner]

2. KoKo is female

[Cooley Hurd]

4. So much for that theory...

Seriously, why would exposing their breasts have any effect on an ape? :shrug:

[FlemingsGhost]

7. It's part of the "homosexual agenda." ... Practice, practice, practice

Go git 'em Freeps and fundies. Your daughters are next!

[Damien]

18. female bonding thing?

making the monkey realize they are all women together? Sounds strange, but it does kinda make sense.

[Old Mouse]

13. LOL

[Megahurtz]

3. What???

:wtf:???


Weird.

[papau]

5. Was it bestiality - or lesbian activity? or lesbian activity on unpaid

overtime with no rest breaks.

And what were the health and safety violations? a problem for the apes - or for the humans?

So many questions!

:-)

[Wright Patman]

6. I've heard of human female trainers of dolphins

going "all the way" with their subjects.

Just thought I'd throw that in.

There's not near enough talk about a constitutional amendment outlawing such practices. < /sarcasm>

[kayell]

15. I remember reading a (fictional) story with that as a minor subplot

In the book, the unfortunate female trainer forgot that dolphins apparently prefer to mate at considerable depth.

[mordarlar]

8. The Gorilla according to the story is curious. While people should not ..

be pressed to expose themselves or risk firing, i see nothing unexpected in a gorilla able to communicate asking to see a human body. The curiosity of KOKO reminds me of a 5 yr old kid. I wonder if the concept of "human" modesty can be taught.

[DulceDecorum]

10. Lets see you drop your shorts

for Koko.

Dibs on the camera.

[mordarlar]

31. I said people should not be forced. But as far as the GORILLA'S...

curiosity, i see nothing upsetting. Just because we have body issues does not mean, in my opinion, that we are more evolved in this aspect. If it was simply me and KOKO personally i would have no more issue with being nude than i would in front of my own children. It is the human element that causes the concern. A boss demanding this from an employee. The lack of respect for another person's lines is the problem.

From the story it is clear that the male "boss" has been shirtless in front of the gorilla.(apparently nobody had issue with this) But this was his choice. If a female made A CHOICE to do this as well i would have no more issue than him doing it.

Just a nipple. I breast fed three of my children. If some choose not to do this they should not be forced to.


Hell they should take KOKO to Mardi Gras. She can get her fill of nipples exposed FREELY AND BY CHOICE.

Edited to note i did not realize Patterson was a female. Same still applies is someone CHOOSES to do so no biggie. If they do not they should not be forced.

[KissMeKate]

9. why couldnt they just put on hairy ape suits?

I mean if the idea was to show the gorilla were just like them, and we can bond, why not have hairy chests like them?

[DulceDecorum]

11. See, that is why

they should simply take the creature back to its natural habitat and stop messing with its head.
And ours.

[rodeodance]

14. good idea (but very little natural habitate availabel)

[KissMeKate]

27. zoos keep up genetic diversity. but yes,

we should stop messing with their heads :)

[Hell Hath No Fury]

12. Koko...

is notorious for her nipple obsession! (I posted this over on the Lounge thread, too.) Robin Williams does a whole routine on it, and I have a wildlife photography book in which the author talks about his session with Koko -- she comes into the photo room and pretty much goes right for his nipples! She rammed her hands up his shirt and engaged in a little nipple play. Freaked him out pretty good, too. In fact, her picture in the book shows her touching her own nipples.

On edit: I thought it looked like Penny had told the workers exposing their breasts could be part of their job, but now not so sure. If she had, they'd have had every right to object to that condition and to say no to the job from the start.

[jswordy]

16. Yeah, yeah, yeah...another way to collect money after being fired.

I am sure my response is atypical, so I will just write it out without looking at the thread. There are two sides to every story, and only one side is represented in this one.

They got fired, great way to collect some money, would be the other side. Heh.

[LinuxInsurgent]

17. this is the funniest/weirdest news ever

hahahaha....wTF....

[Damien]

19. the soldiers give X

post was my pick for strangest today (and most tasteless posts). this is my second pick personally.

[kskiska]

20. Patterson has been involved teaching Koko since college

and she's devoted her life to her. I guess, given her day-to-day intense familiarity and communication with Koko, this may seem to be a normal thing. However, she shouldn't demand that other workers do the same. I think Kendra, at least, has been there quite some time. Maybe there's another motive involved here, also, by going public.

Back in the '70s, when the Gorilla Foundation began, I used to send donations and receive their newsletters and updates on Koko and Michael (who died). It was hoped that they would mate, but it didn't happen. I guess Penny Patterson has had to become Koko's sex education instructor.

[baba]

21. Really?

I had a friend who used to work there. She said that some of the people who worked with Koko were kind of...strange.

[daleo]

22. Fundies ought to love this story.

A story that is manna for the fundies - "those atheist crazies think we are descended from apes, and now they want to encourage lesbian sex with apes, it just goes to show what happens when you teach evolution".

When you think about it , clothes must seem like an odd fetish to a gorilla.

[papau]

24. Is Koko smart because she is gay?

????

so many questions....

:-)

Or is she just killing time until the right male comes along - and is really bi????????

or is it cultural -taught by evil trainers????

or is it children's natuaral curiosity??????

Does Koko need to be born again???????

:-)

[Blue_Tires]

23. Whiskey.Tango.Foxtrot

and that story about the woman and the dolphin is equally disturbing...i could have lived the rest of my life without EVER hearing about this

[kskiska]

25. Kind of like undressing in front of your dog

[DrWeird]

26. Hey, if it's part of the job, I don't see how they have a case.

Employers can ask you to expose yourself if it's part of the job, say nude art model, or actor in the play "Hair." Don't see how this is different.

[blindpig]

28. agreed

surely they had some idea of what they were getting into before they hired on. Sounds like a labor problem...

Personally, I was honored when a chimp that I worked with groomed my arm and allowed me to groom his back. Poor guy was so lonesome(his cagemate had died).

They sure don't sound like the zookeepers I worked with in the 70's!

[DrWeird]

29. That sounds neat.

Was it an adult chimp? Aren't they quite dangerous?

[blindpig]

30. you bet

Spunky was a 16 year old male, bad-sick crazy like most zoo chimps and before my time with him he bit the ear off of a keeper who screwed up and tried to slam a steel door shut on him. But Spunk and I were tight, we made eye contact without trouble and he didn't throw shit at me. I did make it a point to hold my arm perpendicular to the bars so that he couldn't just pull my hand in and bite but I was taking a chance. Be assured, chimps(and other great apes) are sentient.

[readmoreoften]

32. Yeah right

I'd like to see that contract. "You must allow Koko to stare at your nipples. If she sticks her hands up your shirt to grab at your nipples you are encouraged to dissuade her if you are able. This may be harmless gorilla fun or Koko may really get horny." I seriously doubt this contract exists.

If this was "Koko loves testicles! You must expose your testicles to Koko to keep this job, although Koko might manhandle them" your response might be different.

Let's be serious here.

[rayofreason]

34. Talk about monkey business!!!

Maybe Koko will castanets out of your testicles already (said with French accent).

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[Vidar]

35. What garbage--only in America.

[VegasWolf]

36. Koko needs Jerry Falwell and Billy Grahm to straighten her out. n/t