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In 1997, Williams was sued in a massive $200,000 50-charge sexual harassment suit for repeatedly kissing his once male trainer Stephen Gregory who he had promoted repeatedly into his talk-show staff. Gregory claimed Williams had also grabbed his buttocks and genitals and climbed into bed with him on business trips. After rebuffing him, Gregory alleged, the pundit retaliated by reducing his pay and subsequently firing him. At the time, the Williams had just teased an explosive quote from then-Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott who said that gays should be treated like those who have a problem with "alcohol ... or sex addiction ... or kleptomaniacs." Williams roundly supported this view. Gregory's attorney, Mickey Wheatley, a former lawyer with the Lamda Legal Defense Fund, a gay civil rights group, told the San Francisco Chronicle he thought it "ironic for Trent Lott to be making these offensive pronouncements when he's sitting across from somebody who's been accused of the most abusive kind of conduct of a homosexual nature.'' Wheatley added: Williams "believes that (homosexuality) to be a sin, and so he must be in great pain over it, but he's inflicting pain on others with his pronouncements. The way he treated my client would be indicative of what happens when you try to repress something as basic about yourself as your sexuality. My advice to him would be to get a boyfriend and leave his employees alone.'' Williams failed to get the suit dismissed in 1998. His once-trainer presented an affidavit from a man who claimed Armstrong propositioned him in 1996 and also had testimony from an ex-intern who said he had brushed off Williams' advances his first day on the job. [more] em em em: A Black - Gay - Republican= like Roaches for Raid baby.