Fil-Am Transgender Sues Macy's for Wrongful Termination
By: Yong Chavez
FilipinOnline.com
A former cosmetics department employee of Macy's Torrance, Calif. is suing the company for wrongful termination and various gender-related grievances, including verbal abuse, being ejected from the women’s restroom and being ridiculed by both management and other employees.
Jason “Jazz” Araquel, 21, is alleging three years of sex gender humiliation, harassment, discrimination, intimidation, coercion, and emotional distress.
The case was filed today at the Los Angeles Superior Court.
Per Business Wire: "According to Ms. Araquel’s attorneys, Eric E. Castelblanco of the Los Angeles law firm of the Law Offices of Eric E. Castelblanco and Kelly Y. Chen of the Law Office of Kelly Y. Chen, the plaintiff is a pre-operative male-to-female transgender individual whose sexual status was known to store management at the time she was initially employed in a part-time capacity in November 2006. She subsequently became a full-time employee in March 2008 and worked there until September 1, 2009, when she was terminated.
Ms. Araquel alleges that she had repeatedly been subjected to “unfair treatment and humiliation.” This included having to work as a part-time employee for nearly a year-and-a-half during which she sought full-time work, only to witness others being continually hired from outside the store. She received full-time work only after threatening a lawsuit against Macy’s.
Castelblanco said that Ms. Araquel was ultimately terminated by Macy’s for alleged insubordination and use of foul language."
Jason “Jazz” Araquel, 21, is alleging three years of sex gender humiliation, harassment, discrimination, intimidation, coercion, and emotional distress.
The case was filed today at the Los Angeles Superior Court.
Per Business Wire: "According to Ms. Araquel’s attorneys, Eric E. Castelblanco of the Los Angeles law firm of the Law Offices of Eric E. Castelblanco and Kelly Y. Chen of the Law Office of Kelly Y. Chen, the plaintiff is a pre-operative male-to-female transgender individual whose sexual status was known to store management at the time she was initially employed in a part-time capacity in November 2006. She subsequently became a full-time employee in March 2008 and worked there until September 1, 2009, when she was terminated.
Ms. Araquel alleges that she had repeatedly been subjected to “unfair treatment and humiliation.” This included having to work as a part-time employee for nearly a year-and-a-half during which she sought full-time work, only to witness others being continually hired from outside the store. She received full-time work only after threatening a lawsuit against Macy’s.
Castelblanco said that Ms. Araquel was ultimately terminated by Macy’s for alleged insubordination and use of foul language."
Araquel believes that the termination was in retaliation to her numerous complaints to the management about harassment incidents.
She is seeking general and punitive damages and compensation for emotional distress, pain and suffering, loss of dignity, legal costs and attorney’s fees.
(Note: In 2005, I did several reports on a legal case involving another Fil-Am transgender woman. Pic of typical cosmetics counter from nowpublic.com)
