A Citibank teller in Beverly, on Chicago's Southwest Side, has hit her supervisor with an Illinois Department of Human Rights complaint after the bank manager allegedly passed her up for promotion because she is a lesbian.
Tiffany Maney-Green says she was more than qualified for a promotion from a part-time to a full-time teller position but that she was not considered for the job because she introduced the branch manager to her wife. The complaint hinges on allegations of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, marital status as well as sexual harassment.
Maney-Green's complaint, filed May 2, alleges that Kareem Trice, branch manager, met Maney-Green's wife, Yolanda Green, two days after she applied for the job.
"The look on his face, he was just in complete shock," Maney-Green told Windy City Times. "It made my wife feel uncomfortable."
Maney-Green's complaint states that Trice told her after, "You don't have to tell everyone you're gay. You don't have to show it around the office. Keep it to yourself."
Green and Maney-Green were married in February 2011 and then had an Illinois civil union in June of that year.
Maney-Green said she has never had a problem at her job and that a past supervisor encouraged her to apply for a full-time position. Another senior teller verbally recommended her for the job, she said. In early April, she was ranked among the top 10 Citibank tellers in the Chicago area, the complaint states.
Still, she said, Trice considered outside candidates and told her she was not right for the job.
"He stated I was too flamboyant for the position," Maney-Green said. "I know I'm qualified. I know I'm well-qualified."
Maney-Green's attorney Betty Tsamis said that in her eyes, the situation is a straightforward case of discrimination.
"Why is this guy singling her out and saying, 'No, not you. I want to look at outside people?'" Tsamis asked.
Andrew Brent, a spokesperson for Citibank, said that company does not comment on "personal" matters involving employees but added that Citibank investigates complaints and does not tolerate discrimination.
"Citi has a long-standing commitment to providing all its employees with a professional and respectful workplace free of unlawful discrimination," Brent said in a statement to Windy City Times.
Citi has been ranked nationally among the most LGBT-friendly companies by the Human Rights Campaign, which scores companies in its annual Corporate Equality Index.