Alan Sorrentino files gay marriage discrimination complaint against Town of Barrington

Complaint stems from outdated marriage form

Posted 9/15/17

Barrington resident Alan Sorrentino recently filed a complaint with the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights, alleging discrimination by Barrington officials during an incident at the town hall …

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Alan Sorrentino files gay marriage discrimination complaint against Town of Barrington

Complaint stems from outdated marriage form

Posted

Barrington resident Alan Sorrentino recently filed a complaint with the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights, alleging discrimination by Barrington officials during an incident at the town hall earlier this summer.

The Barrington Town Council was slated to discuss the complaint during the executive session portion of its recent meeting. 

According to Barrington Town Manager Jim Cunha, the complaint alleges that Mr. Sorrentino was discriminated against by town officials during a June 12 visit to the town hall. But Mr. Cunha was quick to dispute the assertion. In fact, the town manager said that it was Mr. Sorrentino who behaved badly that day.

"The language he used was unacceptable," said Mr. Cunha. "His conduct was inappropriate."

According to town officials, Mr. Sorrentino entered the town hall on Monday, June 12 at about 9:30 a.m. and started yelling at town employees about a marriage certificate form that he had downloaded from the town's website. The form, which was reportedly from 2011, did not include verbiage for a same-sex couple. (Mr. Sorrentino and his partner were reportedly planning to get married at the end of June.)

Mr. Cunha said employees from the clerk's office quickly realized that the form on the website was outdated and they tracked down a new, correct form. 

"They tried to give him the correct form," said Mr. Cunha. 

The town manager said Mr. Sorrentino used vulgar and offensive language — "Four times he used the 'N' word," said Mr. Cunha — inside the town hall, upsetting the staff members and creating a scene. Town officials later filed an incident report with the Barrington Police Department. 

"Should he ever do that again, I would call the police and have him removed," said Mr. Cunha, adding that he would not expect Barrington officials to tolerate that type of behavior from any individual. 

"He certainly could have been charged with disorderly conduct."

Mr. Cunha said the complaint was "frivolous" and the town clerk's office "would be exonerated." He said witness statements from numerous people who were in the town hall on June 12 have been recorded. Officials from the Rhode Island Interlocal Trust are representing the town for this complaint.

"Every community has its challenges," said Mr. Cunha. "Unfortunately, there will be citizens who don't act appropriately and become a nuisance… In this particular case, Mr. Sorrentino has made issues out of things that aren't issues."

Mr. Sorrentino filed the complaint with the commission on Aug. 16, more than two months after the incident. Barrington officials received correspondence from the commission on Aug. 29. 

The staff attorney for the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights, Frank Gaschen, said the commission would not release a copy of the complaint until the investigation was complete. 

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