GLT » Grand Marshal: Joseph ‘Joey’ Ramelli and Megan Donovan

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Grand Marshal: Joseph ‘Joey’ Ramelli and Megan Donovan

Published Thursday, 28-Jul-2005 in issue 918

Heading this year’s Pride parade are two former Poway High School students who have proved themselves exemplary of grass-roots activism this year.

Having endured more than three years of emotionally distressing harassment at Poway High, the duo took their cases to San Diego Superior Court after their concerns and complaints were pushed aside by school administrators.

The pair testified to a federal judge, relating Ramelli’s story of extensive teasing and taunting that started in his freshman year and Donovan’s experience of mistreatment as an out lesbian, which she said led to her being denied a position on the girls’ varsity softball team. Both experienced substantial bouts of absenteeism due to the uncomfortable environment they felt was present at Poway High.

The school hired a team of lawyers to counter the Ramelli and Donovan’s claims, but the two stuck out the five-week trial. At its conclusion, Ramelli was awarded $175,000 and Donovan received $125,000 in damages due to mistreatment, though the jury failed to find the school or its employees liable for any discrimination.