A Miami anchorman claims he was demoted for being gay, then fired shortly after filing a discrimination complaint. Read more and see photos and video here.

charles perez






News station WPLG-ABC 10 terminated Charles Perez only a few days after he filed the complaint. But leading up to his termination he was reassigned to a weekend spot. Was it because of his sexual orientation?

According to Perez’ attorney Melanie E. Damian: “His employment has been terminated. We filed a charge of discrimination last week. We will now amend that to include his termination as part of his claims.”

It all started back in April, when another station employee (and former lover) Dennis Ricardo Peña allegedly leaked an email that included details of what the Miami Herald called “gender identity issues.”

Perez filed a restraining order on Peña following that incident, which he says led to “discomfort” at WPLG “over the increasingly high profile of (his) sexual orientation.”

Then, on July 22, Perez lost the weeknight anchor seat. General Manager and Vice President of WPLG, Dave Boylan told The Herald:

“WPLG is disappointed that the actions of Charles Perez left us no real choice other than to terminate his employment contract. WPLG emphatically denies Perez’s claim of discrimination. The document he is circulating is filled with misstatements and untruths.”

In an interesting twist, the man who handed him the demotion is also gay, and calls Perez’ accusations “untrue and offensive.” Regardless, Perez told TMZ that he is planning to file a “7 or 8 figure lawsuit.”

Do you think Charles Perez was fired for being gay? Let us know in the comments section below.

Check out a video from his old talk show, The Charles Perez show below.