Firefighters from San Diego are suing the city authorities for ordering them to ride on a fire engine in a recent gay parade. They say not only were they sexually harassed during the parade but also mistreated at work after filing complaints.

Gay parades take place annually in the city, and a fire engine is of its customary symbols. The Hillcrest Firefighting Battalion had always avoided participating in the event before as other city crews were commissioned to do so.

However, this year the crew that were supposed to do the task pulled out at the last moment. San Diego authorities say they had no choice but to use people from the Hillcrest team.

John Ghiotto, Jason Hewitt, Alex Kane and Chad Allison say they made it clear they did not want to participate in an event with “a sexually charged atmosphere”. They “felt humiliated and disgraced” by verbal abuse and sexually explicit comments from the participants.

San Diego City Attorney Michael Aguirre questioned whether the firefighters were really in distress, indicating they went grocery shopping and cooked pancakes at their station after the parade. Aguirre also suggested the men are against the city’s anti-discriminatory policy.

As court hearings are set to continue, two firefighters have already sought and received counselling for emotional distress.