Help For A Friend

[Guest Black_Rose]

My friend works at a department store, it's a pretty known one and big, now she began taking hormones and she told me yesterday they are making her life very hard at the job because of who she is. Now she said they are looking for ways of firing her so they are giving her jobs she is not capable of doing, is there any way I can help? legally maybe? any advice? thanks.

[Guest ~Brenda~]

Hey Rose,

It is illegal for a company to discriminate or harass anyone due to gender identitiy or sexual orientation. However with that being said, it is hard to prove unless it is blatant. Your friend has to be an exemplary employee. She has to show up on time, work diligently. She has to give no reason to get fired from her work performance. Most companies must give warnings first before they fire someone. The warnings are really for the company to prove that this person has been warned due to their work performance. If she has not been warned (formally in writing), then she has a stronger case of discrimination.

If this place has an HR department, I strongly urge you to have your friend go to them to discuss what she perceives is happening.

Brenda

[Guest Black_Rose]

Well I think so, it's a petstore, But it's a big one. hmmm she's off today maybe I can have her come over and come here online and ask herself and explain things but not sure if she is home today. She doesn't have a computer

[Sally]

Are these jobs that she can not do new or has it just been that the HRT is giving her troubel doing her job.

If her job had always involved heavy lifting and the hormones have made it impossible for her to do the job then the store can either move her to another job or let her go.

If the jobs that she can not do are new all coming on after she began transitioning then they are harassment and must be stopped - she would have legal recourse and should notify the HR department right away as long as she is still capable of doing the job that she has always had they can not fire her without being open to a law suit.

Love ya,

Sally

[Guest Black_Rose]

She was cashier. She said this happened once she told them she began to take hormones and explained she could not do it because she is not capable of doing so.

Everyone who works with her that I interact with has only good things to say about her. When I go for adoption day we take breaks together, her required breaks and we go outside and have a min and customers know her and say "Hi B!" she brings something special to the place, I have heard other employees say this. I don't want her to get fired, she is great at her job and times are hard enough, to lose a job now? no way!

[Guest Jean Davis]

Hey

Have her go down to her local unemployment office, they will have phone numbers for information on discrimination.

I don't know if it is the same in every state, but in Wisconsin the state has to review the case before a lawyer can take it to court.

LUV

Jean

[Paula ult]

Hey Rose,

It is illegal for a company to discriminate or harass anyone due to gender identitiy or sexual orientation. However with that being said, it is hard to prove unless it is blatant. Your friend has to be an exemplary employee. She has to show up on time, work diligently. She has to give no reason to get fired from her work performance. Most companies must give warnings first before they fire someone. The warnings are really for the company to prove that this person has been warned due to their work performance. If she has not been warned (formally in writing), then she has a stronger case of discrimination.

If this place has an HR department, I strongly urge you to have your friend go to them to discuss what she perceives is happening.

Brenda

Brenda it is not illegal for a company to discriminate or harass due to gender identity unless the city or state has protections against it or the company's EEO policy specifically has gender identity in it. People are fired all the time when they come out at work even though they have been model employees, have outstanding reviews and worked for many years.

Here's hoping the government passes EDNA this time.

Paula

Paula

[Paula ult]

My friend works at a department store, it's a pretty known one and big, now she began taking hormones and she told me yesterday they are making her life very hard at the job because of who she is. Now she said they are looking for ways of firing her so they are giving her jobs she is not capable of doing, is there any way I can help? legally maybe? any advice? thanks.

If it is a big chain of stores they may have an HR department and have an EEO policy, sometimes on the companies website if they have one these policies may be available to review.

She can go to the HRC website and see if her company is listed, if it is it will tell her what protections there are at her company.

http://www.hrc.org/

Paula

[Guest Evan_J]

She was cashier. She said this happened once she told them she began to take hormones and explained she could not do it because she is not capable of doing so.

Everyone who works with her that I interact with has only good things to say about her. When I go for adoption day we take breaks together, her required breaks and we go outside and have a min and customers know her and say "Hi B!" she brings something special to the place, I have heard other employees say this. I don't want her to get fired, she is great at her job and times are hard enough, to lose a job now? no way!

Is the part they're asking her to do outside of the duties of a cashier? Are there other workers for whom these tasks DO fall under their job descriptions?

And its a good place for me to point it out folks, THIS is where you need "gender expression and identity" specified and worded in a city/state law to have recourse.......(she needs to check and see what the protection is where you live)

If in fact she has a legitimate claim, have her contact the Equal Employment office in her town/city. They typically want to collect the details in person. Even if all the other facts of the thing are in order, if there is not a protection for transgendered folks on the book , basically "oh well".

.....Let me direct you back to that thread where I'm lettin y'all who don't know that NOW is the time to do something about that at a national level....... http://www.lauras-playground.com/forums/in...c=10073&hl= Its on the senate floor, this is not "pie in the sky" this is a "now" issue

[Guest Black_Rose]

Thanks all! I am not sure if they are but I can ask. WE are in NJ if that helps more for information.

You ROCK!!!

[Sally]

I just applied for a job and got it but I read the EOE posting on the wall and because the company has outlets in states that are covering transgendered it includes gender identity and expression listed - you have to heck with her store's policy.

It is easy to do, you can have someone ask for a job application - it is printed right on the application unless they are trying to not comply.

Love ya,

Sally