The lawsuit says staff made anti-gay comments and pushed Christian beliefs.
KITSAP COUNTY, Wash. — A Kitsap County man is suing the Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) and American Behavioral Health Systems, alleging he faced anti-gay harassment and religious instruction during court-ordered drug treatment, according to a federal lawsuit filed Thursday.
Bryson Butler filed the complaint in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. The lawsuit names DOC and American Behavioral Health Systems (ABHS), as defendants.
The complaint says Butler was granted a Drug Offender Sentencing Alternative, which reduced his prison time in exchange for post-release substance use treatment.
As part of that sentence, Butler was required to complete 60 days in a residential treatment facility.
DOC placed Butler at ABHS on May 19, 2025, according to the lawsuit.
Butler says he was not offered another residential treatment option and could have faced up to three additional years in prison if ABHS found him noncompliant with the program.
The lawsuit alleges ABHS counselors often pushed residents to adopt Christian beliefs and made disparaging comments about same-sex relationships during mandatory lectures and group meetings.
According to the complaint, one counselor referred to same-sex relationships as “weird s***,” described two men kissing as “disgusting” and said “sodomy is wrong.”
Butler, who is gay and HIV positive, also alleges the same counselor made disparaging comments about people with HIV, including false claims about how HIV can be transmitted.
The complaint says ABHS also tolerated anti-gay slurs from some employees and residents.
Butler says he reported the comments to his case manager, ABHS leadership, his DOC officer and a Prison Rape Elimination Act auditor. The lawsuit says the comments continued after those reports.
The complaint also says an ABHS volunteer distributed a religious comic book called Doom Town during a mandatory meeting.
The lawsuit says the comic includes anti-gay messages, Bible verses condemning same-sex relationships and claims about AIDS.
Butler completed the ABHS residential program on July 24, 2025, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit claims DOC and ABHS violated the Fair Housing Act and the Washington Law Against Discrimination by subjecting Butler to harassment based on sexual orientation. It also claims DOC violated the Washington Constitution by using public money for religious instruction and making participation in that instruction part of a court-ordered treatment program.
Butler is seeking damages for emotional distress, humiliation, anxiety and other harms. He is also asking the court to certify a class of people who received treatment at ABHS as part of a Drug Offender Sentencing Alternative or another court order during the three years before the complaint was filed.
The lawsuit also asks for court orders barring DOC from funding religious instruction at ABHS and barring ABHS from providing instruction that violates state anti-discrimination law or the state constitution.
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