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Bonnie Bleskachek was the fire chief of Minneapolis, Minnesota from 2005 to 2006. She was the first...

Bonnie Bleskachek was the fire chief of Minneapolis, Minnesota from 2005 to 2006. She was the first lesbian fire chief in a large metro city in the United States. After four lawsuits against Bleskacheck alleging discrimination and sexual harassment, she stepped down as Minneapolis Fire Chief in November, 2006. Bleskachek's demotion was due in part to the lawsuits and the loss of support from Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak. The lawsuits alleged that Bleskachek was promoting women who would sleep with her and denying promotions to women who refused to sleep with her. Bleskachek had a long history of dating women within the fire department and ending those relationships badly. She had a seven year relationship with one firefighter, the first to file a lawsuit. That firefighter alleged that Bleskachek was physically abusive to her on multiple occasions during their relationship. The firefighter also alleges that Bleskacheck thwarted her career after the relationship was over by denying her training opportunities and eliminating battalion chief positions after the ex-partner passed the promotional screening tests. Bleskachek's complicated personal life includes two children from two