Victoria Ramirez put herself through college working for Barnes & Noble. She worked herself up the ladder from bookseller to merchandise manager at a store in Irvine, CA.
But when she began transitioning from male to female, she says that managers told her she would not be allowed to use a new name, would not be referred to by female pronouns and would not be allowed to use the women's restroom.
In other words, her managers vetoed her transition. She was told the store had a "neighborhood vibe" and that she should "think about the children." When she complained she was fired.
I put myself through college working there. I thought this company shared my values of hard work, integrity, and respect for all people. But when I came out as transgender, they didn’t live up to those values — instead they responded by mocking me and forcing me to hide who I really am. After giving six years of my life to Barnes & Noble, I was devastated when I was fired simply for being myself. I lost my livelihood, my financial stability, and my confidence.
--Victoria Ramirez
Legal representatives of Ms. Ramirez
filed suit against B & N on May 6. California law includes specific prohibition of discrimination in the workplace based on gender identity or expression.
The law is clear: no one should be targeted for humiliation and harassment at work and ultimately lose their job because of who they are. It’s unacceptable for any employee to go through what Victoria experienced at Barnes & Noble, and it’s particularly disturbing given the public image the company has cultivated around its support for LGBT people. Unfortunately, this case illustrates the fact that discrimination against transgender employees is still all too common, leading to sky-high rates of unemployment and poverty in our community.
--Kris Hiyashi, Transgender Law Center
Barnes & Noble, which for the past seven years has touted its “perfect score” on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, subjected Ms. Ramirez to harassment regarding her gender identity and expression. Her manager berated her about her long hair, makeup, and nail polish, saying her appearance was inappropriate for a “family store” and that she should “think of the children.” When she came out as transgender, managers set impossible conditions for Ms. Ramirez, essentially forbidding her to transition. They told her she was not allowed to wear women’s clothing, discuss her transition with her co-workers, use female pronouns to identify herself, or use the women’s bathroom. Overwhelmed by the pressure to hide her female gender identity at work, Ms. Ramirez began to experience on-going panic attacks and severe anxiety. When she told her manager she couldn’t hide who she was any longer, she was fired.
--Transgender Law Center
Asked for comment by the Advocate, B & N sent an email:
We are very proud to employ a large number of transgender individuals, whom, like all employees are treated with dignity and respect.
While it is our policy not to comment directly on individual employees, it is important to point out that Barnes & Noble has a history of supporting and employing transgender individuals. When an employee informs us that he or she will be transitioning, we work directly with the employee to provide the support they need to feel comfortable in the work place. We also work with the other employees and managers in our stores to ensure they are educated about the transition process and what to expect. In addition, under Barnes & Noble’s workplace benefits, the company pays for transition surgery, hormone therapy, counseling and other necessary medical assistance.
--B & N spokewoman Mary Ellen Keating
A policy is only a good as its application.