Transgender Woman Files Lawsuit Against AT&T Alleging Discrimination and Wrongful Termination

A transgender employee of AT&T has filed a $3 million gender discrimination lawsuit against the company. According to the complaint, the employee was a highly-regarded member of the team until she came out as transgender. At that point, her supervisors began passing her up for projects, moving her to different jobs, and ultimately, firing her in July of 2020.

The Supreme Court has ruled that sex and gender discrimination applies broadly to individuals who are members of the LGBTQ+ community. This includes gender-non-conforming individuals.

A timeline of the allegations 

According to the lawsuit, the employee was a “highly regarded ‘star’ employee” for 16 years with the company. During that time, she presented as a married man with three children. She worked as a senior project architect with AT&T. However, after she announced her transition, things drastically changed for her.

The plaintiff began working at AT&T in 2001 as a senior member of its technical staff. She was promoted in 2006 and 2012, the complaint alleges.

In March of 2017, the plaintiff fully transitioned to her family, friends, and the community. She went about her day as a woman but continued to present as a man at work for fear of retaliation. In June of 2017, the plaintiff traveled to Dallas for a company meeting. There, she revealed her transgender status to colleagues. At the time, she felt secure enough in her position due to her long and successful tenure with the company. She had received a service excellence award a few months before.

During the first two days of the meeting, the plaintiff presented as a male to colleagues. But on the third day, she decided to come out as a woman. Her efforts were met with shock and anger, according to the lawsuit. After returning from the meeting, the plaintiff made her formal reintroduction to colleagues and announced her transition via email.

From there, things got worse for the plaintiff. The company took her off projects she’d been previously assigned, stopped assigning her projects, and reassigned her to administrative duties. She was excluded from company meetings, and the company promoted non-transgender employees with significantly fewer qualifications over her.

According to the lawsuit, a colleague filed a complaint on her behalf and the plaintiff filed numerous complaints alleging discrimination. She met with an HR representative who told her that “the case was closed” and refused to disclose the findings of the investigation to the employee. Ultimately, the employee was assigned a supporting role as a business analyst, a role for which she lacked experience. In 2020, she applied for a job at an AT&T subsidiary but was denied the position. Ultimately, she was fired.

Contact an Atlanta, GA Gender Discrimination Attorney Today 

Forsythe Law Firm represents the interests of transgender employees who have faced discrimination or a hostile work environment. Call our Atlanta employment lawyers today to schedule a free consultation, and we can begin discussing your case right away.

Source:

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