Woman claims she was fired for being transgender: 'This is baffling to me'
A Montana woman claims she was fired on Sunday from her restaurant job for being transgender, and that prior to that she was threatened with termination if she did not wash off her makeup.
Skyler Jordan, who was born male but identifies as female, told KPAX, “I’ve never been fired from a job, and I’ve always worked in the restaurant industry, and this is baffling to me.”
She says she came to work at Sparky’s Garage in Butte, Mont. on Saturday wearing “a little bit of makeup,” and was told her job would be at stake if she didn’t remove it. She said her supervisor told her she “didn’t present the wholesomeness and family-oriented atmosphere” of Sparky’s.
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Jordan obliged her manager’s request and went about her typical workday, but the next day she recruited allies from LGTBQ advocacy group Rainbow+ Community Center, according to KPAX. Two representatives confronted Jordan’s manager to inform him of Butte’s anti-discrimination ordinance, which states that “everyone has equal opportunity to employment, housing and public accommodations” regardless of factors like gender identity, according to Montana’s ACLU.
But their support backfired, and they say Jordan’s manager fired her on the spot.
“This is not what we wanted. We met friendly, in person, to try to help this situation, and it turned into this so fast,” said Samantha Brown of Rainbow+. The group is claiming the manager’s move was outright discrimination, and that Jordan has a right to keep her employment regardless of her gender orientation. Now, they’re seeking justice on Jordan’s behalf.
“We got ahold of the Human Rights Network, filed a report, we’re also filing reports with the Human Rights Bureau of Montana,” Brown said. She called the case a civil rights matter.
Jordan said she’s still shocked by the termination, and she’s on board with the mission of Rainbow+ to have the situation rectified.
“Well, I don’t want to be discriminated against,” she said, “and I don’t want anybody else in the LGBTQ community or any type of community, even ‘normal people’ to be discriminated for any reason.”
Rainbow+ announced in a Facebook post on Thursday morning that it had come to a resolution with Sparky’s, but did not elaborate on what that entailed.
Yahoo Lifestyle has reached out to Rainbow+ and to Sparky’s Garage for further comment on the mutual agreement.
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Principal told 4th-grader her LGBTQ essay was ‘not acceptable,’ says lawsuit
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