Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

National Finance Company sued for firing transgender employee
From a press release
2015-04-16

This article shared 3072 times since Thu Apr 16, 2015
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email


Civil Rights Groups Sue National Finance Company for Illegally Firing Transgender Employee

( New Orleans, LA, April 13, 2015 )—A national Mississippi-based finance company fired a transgender man after he refused to agree to dress and be treated as female, according to a federal employment discrimination lawsuit filed today by civil rights advocates.

Tristan Broussard, 21, was hired by Tower Loan as a manager trainee in the company's Lake Charles, Louisiana branch in February 2014. After he started the job, company officials learned that he is transgender and asked him to sign a document stating that his "preference to act and dress as male" was not "in compliance with Tower Loan's personnel policies," according to the complaint. He refused and was fired.

Tower Loan is a privately owned company with 180 locations in five states. Broussard is represented by the National Center for Lesbian Rights ( NCLR ), the Southern Poverty Law Center ( SPLC ), Altshuler Berzon LLP, and Delaney & Robb Attorneys at Law LLC.

"I was well qualified to do my job but was fired solely because of my gender," Broussard said. "Rather than being treated like any other male employee, my employer told me I would be fired unless I dressed and acted as if I were female. The treatment I went through was inexcusable. It was wrong to be fired for who I am."

The suit alleges that Tower Loan's termination of Broussard violated Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the federal law that protects employees from discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin. Courts across the country have repeatedly recognized that Title VII's prohibition on sex discrimination protects transgender workers.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ( EEOC ), the primary agency charged by Congress with interpreting and enforcing Title VII, has made clear that employers cannot fire or refuse to hire employees solely because they are transgender. Before filing suit, Broussard lodged a complaint with the EEOC, which concluded that Tower Loan violated Title VII by firing him.

"No one should have to face employment discrimination or the fear of being fired simply because of their gender," said NCLR Senior Staff Attorney Amy Whelan. "That is what the case is about."

SPLC Staff Attorney Sam Wolfe added: "Transgender people are due a fair chance at employment like anyone else. But the transgender community faces unacceptably high rates of unemployment and poverty due to widespread workplace discrimination. Tower Loan violated federal law when it fired Tristan because he is a transgender man. We are proud of Tristan for taking a stand against this injustice."

P. Casey Pitts of Altshuler Berzon LLP said: "Federal law protects transgender workers who deserve the same certainty as others that their jobs and livelihood depend, not on irrelevant characteristics like their gender, but on their skills, effort, and performance."

"Tristan was denied the opportunity to demonstrate his capabilities and contributions to Tower Loan simply because of the company's biased views about his gender. Our hope is that Tristan's case will mark a positive change for all transgender people, especially here in Louisiana," said Ryan P. Delaney of Delaney & Robb Attorneys at Law LLC.

The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, requests financial damages, declaratory relief, a permanent injunction against Tower Loan prohibiting it from engaging in unlawful sex discrimination against employees or applicants for employment, including on the basis of gender identity, and attorneys' fees and costs.

In recent months, both the EEOC and the U.S. Department of Justice have filed lawsuits on behalf of transgender employees who have faced discrimination by their employers. The DOJ filed suit in March against Southeastern Oklahoma State University alleging that the university violated Title VII by discriminating against a transgender employee. The EEOC filed two lawsuits late last year on behalf of transgender women who were unlawfully fired by an eye clinic in Florida and a funeral home in Michigan.

Read the complaint at the link: www.nclrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Broussard-Compl.pdf .

Watch Tristan's video and learn more about the case at the link: www.nclrights.org/ .


This article shared 3072 times since Thu Apr 16, 2015
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Almost 8% of U.S. residents identify as LGBTQ+ 2024-03-16
- The proportion of U.S. adults identifying as LGBTQ+ continues to increase. LGBTQ+ identification in the U.S. continues to grow, with 7.6% of U.S. adults now identifying as LGBTQ+, according to the newest Gallup poll results that ...


Gay News

WORLD Leaked messages, Panama action, author dies at 32, Japan court, out athletes 2024-03-15
- Hundreds of messages from an internal chat board for an international group of transgender health professionals were leaked in a report and framed as revealing serious health risks associated with gender-affirming care, including cancer, according to ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Missouri measure, HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, judge, Texas schools 2024-03-15
- In Missouri, a newly proposed law could charge teachers and counselors with a felony and require them to register as sex offenders if they're found guilty of supporting transgender students who are socially transitioning, CNN noted. ...


Gay News

College athletes sue NCAA over transgender policies 2024-03-15
- Former Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines was among a group of college athletes who filed a lawsuit against the NCAA on March 14, accusing it of violating their Title IX rights by allowing trans swimmer Lia Thomas ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Lady Gaga, 'P-Valley,' Wendy Williams, Luke Evans, 'Queer Eye,' 'Transition' 2024-03-15
- Lady Gaga came to the defense of Dylan Mulvaney after a post with the trans influencer/activist for International Women's Day received hateful responses, People Magazine noted. On Instagram, Gaga stated, "It's appalling to me that a ...


Gay News

SPORTS Red Stars prepare to kick off NWSL season against Utah Royals 2024-03-15
- It's been a busy winter for the Red Stars, and it's time to put their work to the test. Following a last place finish in the 2023 NWSL season, Chicago has had an active offseason transforming ...


Gay News

LGBTQ+ people attacked by mobs in Greece 2024-03-14
- Just weeks after a landmark law granted same-sex couples in Greece the right to marry, nearly 200 people dressed in black chased a transgender couple through the town square in Thessaloniki, the country's "second city" and ...


Gay News

Howard Brown experts discuss advocacy and allyship for Chicago's trans community 2024-03-14
By Alec Karam - Howard Brown Health's Trans & Gender Diverse People's Rights & Patient Care panel convened March 12 to discuss both resources for—and opportunities to provide allyship to—the city's trans and gender diverse communities. The event hos ...


Gay News

UPDATE: Nex Benedict's death ruled a suicide; family responds 2024-03-13
- A medical examiner's report concluded that the cause of death of Oklahoma student Nex Benedict (he/they) was suicide, media reports confirmed. Benedict—a 16-year-old transgender student—died Feb. 8, a day after ...


Gay News

"X" gender marker now available on Illinois driver's licenses and state ID cards 2024-03-11
- After several years of preparation, the Illinois Secretary of State's office is has been making the X gender designation available for non-binary residents and others not utilizing the M or F designations, since the beginning of ...


Gay News

Chicagoan continues fight against alleged transphobia at Orangetheory 2024-03-11
- After allegedly dealing with transphobia at a Chicago Orangetheory beginning in 2018, Jes Favers du Shine is still holding out hope for the organization to take measures addressing those issues.� In 2020, Windy City Times reported ...


Gay News

Trans golfer banned from competing 2024-03-08
- Transgender golfer Hailey Davidson spoke out on Instagram after the NXXT Women's Pro Tour suddenly announced on March 8 (International Women's Day) that participants must be "a biological female at birth" in order to compete—banning D ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Altercation, mpox research, Univ. of Fla., George Santos, tech battle 2024-03-08
- Video footage uploaded to Facebook showed an altercation between a state trooper and two prominent Philadelphia LGBTQ+ leaders, the Washington Blade reported, republishing an article from Philadelphia Gay News. Celena ...


Gay News

AMA launches toolkit to increase screenings for HIV, STIs, hepatitis, tuberculosis 2024-03-06
Press release - CHICAGO — With disruptions in clinical care caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and viral hepatitis across the U.S., the American Medical Association ...


Gay News

Federal investigation initiated in Nex Benedict case 2024-03-02
- The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights has started an investigation into the Oklahoma school district where Nex Benedict, a transgender 16-year-old sophomore, went to school and was bullied before his death, The Advocate ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.