Roxy,

That's really F'd up, don't take this sitting down!, our sisters are right!, a trail of documentation needs to have occurred. Don't believe this shit we live in an (at will employment), that's just to cover their ass!. Employee's have rights too!, contact the human resource dept, file a grievance, contact the labor board of relations for termination with-out cause. Actually she's the one that can be in some hot water here!, so fight back!, don't let four years of service go to waste. Btw, 30+yrs as a Proprietor/General Manager, just so you I'm not talking out my ass!

Shame on your employer, Roxy. I totally agree with Lisa Lou's advice. My wife was once hired by what I might describe as a self-governing unit within a big law firm. When the guy who had hired her went on an extended foreign job, the supply of work for her completely dried up and shortly before he was due back the head of the group, who had a severely ADHD son, came in and out of the blue fired her, wihout notice or severance, 'for cause' i.e. inadequate billings. He explained that he thought it immoral to provide her with work, since she should be at home looking after her own ADHD son. I knew of a good employment lawyer, and the big law firm settled very fast indeed for the full amount that our lawyer advised us was appropriate (from which hangs another tale, but totally OT). Yes, there is a definite tariff for settling such cases if the facts are as stated and the severance is inadequate. Receive enough severance, and you probably don't have a case but are well out of the tender mercies of that employer.

Girls, what do we think? Is there a connection at one of the LGBT service organizations that might offer Roxy some kind of assistance in this?

I'm REALLY sorry to hear that, Roxy!!!! Maybe you can get some support from some of your now ex-fellow employees! One time, I used to work at a bank where my floor processed tax checks. It was a VERY secure floor!! We were up on the top floor of a 28 story building. Heat rises and ALL of the windows were sealed shut, so, except for air conditioning, which didn't help much in the summer time, it got pretty warm up there!! Especially for me, since I ran all over the floor moving work from one section to another all day every day and I got pretty sweaty doing so! Well, men weren't allowed to wear shorts, but women were allowed to wear short skirts, which I thought was very unfair, especially since they'd all sit at a desk all day working on various processing machines, or just sitting around talking! I asked one of my "minor" bosses, Dara, if I could wear a skirt to work, since there was no mention of men not wearing skirts and women WERE allowed to wear them. She said it was perfectly fine with her and that if anyone said anything about it, I could just tell them that Dara said it was okay.
So, the next day, I took a short black skirt to work with me. Not sexy or flirty, but more business-like. I went to the 27th floor, which wasn't secure, changed from my jeans to my skirt in the bathroom and then went upstairs and just went straight to work as normal!! A few of the women I passed made a few sounds of excitement, but, nobody made a fuss about it until one of Dara's minors saw me and said something to my boss, Brian, and he took me aside and said I'd have to go home to change and not get paid for the hour or so it'd take. I told him I brought my jeans with me and could change in a few minutes, so, that I did. Once I got back out on the floor in my jeans and all those women and some of the guys, saw that I was forced to change, they got a bit pissed off and said I should file for discrimination because it was completely unfair for them to tell me I couldn't wear a skirt there!! Point being, my fellow employees were supporting me!! We had a guy on the local news that would take discriminatory cases and try to win them for the person being discriminated against and some of my fellow employees were saying that I should call him about this, or that they would on my behalf!! So, maybe some of yours will stand up for you, too!! Give it a try! I hope everything turns out well for you, hun!!

Sammie, Excellent point! Roxy, you should seek out an LGBT rights organization in your state, or if there is none, contact the ACLU. They can either refer you to the LGBT agency in your state or possibly a pro bono attorney.

All the best,
Lisa

I say this as an employer .
If the company has dismissed you without due process than you have the right to take them to an industrial tribunal .
Take them to the cleaners
If you need any pointers don't be shy . Pm me.

Wishing you luck in what ever you decide to do.

I guess I'm not as optimistic as the others, though I AM sorry to hear you've lost your job. I've been in the same position before, but for different reasons. To make matters worse, I have no clue what they told prospective employers when I applied for jobs. What I do know are the lies they told the state when I applied for unemployment benefits. I also know what they told me when they let me go which was wildly different. The state ultimately awarded me unemployment benefits.

If the lies told to the state are what they told to prospective employers, I definitely had grounds for a lawsuit. Given your boss frequently called you a girl, you may have good grounds for a harassment lawsuit.

Regardless of whether you decide to pursue legal action, apply for unemployment as soon as possible. Most states have a way to apply online. I'm guessing most states do not pay benefits the first week in which they were applied for once they are retroactively awarded. You do have copies of your most recent evaluations, don't you, and they do not support the reason given for termination, do they? Can you refute their "cause?"

Also, dust off your résumé and begin updating it now. Try to think of people at your former place of employment who can be used as references and contact them as soon as you can. If you haven't already done so, start cutting your expenses. Separate the "wants" from the "needs" and start eliminating things that aren't necessary. Reduce your cellphone plan to something smaller or go pre-paid. Think in terms of basic survival, but also needed for job hunting.

I don't know how long it usually takes you to find another job in your field, but it takes me longer and longer as I get older. It took me 18 months before I finally broke down and took a minimum-wage job in a call center just so I had something coming in to stop the hemorrhaging of my savings, though I was prepared to raid my retirement accounts, if necessary. Before that, I worked all kinds of temporary jobs for a 1-3 days. Often, I broke even, but it looked better than doing nothing. Four or five months after taking the call center job, I finally landed another job in my field. It required a background investigation, and it pays better on paper than any job I've had, but in terms of buying power, I'm behind where I was 12 years ago. I had applied a couple months before taking the call center job.

I'm not making excuses for your employer or your boss, but maybe it is just coincidence that your boss started treating you differently after Halloween. The decision to terminate you could have been made independent of your costume, and the noticeable change in treatment was the result of her not really wanting to fire you, but being forced to do so by those above her simply as a cost-cutting measure. Waiting until now was possibly the result of waiting to see how things went after the holidays were over.

I say this as an employer .
If the company has dismissed you without due process than you have the right to take them to an industrial tribunal .
Take them to the cleaners
If you need any pointers don't be shy . Pm me.

Wishing you luck in what ever you decide to do.

Not if you live in a "So-Called" "Right to Work" State, they can fire you for Any/No Reason Fair/Unfair (even if it's only a manager/supervisor that simply takes a dislike to you) and you have ZERO Recourse.

I guess I'm not as optimistic as the others, though I AM sorry to hear you've lost your job. I've been in the same position before, but for different reasons. To make matters worse, I have no clue what they told prospective employers when I applied for jobs. What I do know are the lies they told the state when I applied for unemployment benefits. I also know what they told me when they let me go which was wildly different. The state ultimately awarded me unemployment benefits.

If the lies told to the state are what they told to prospective employers, I definitely had grounds for a lawsuit. Given your boss frequently called you a girl, you may have good grounds for a harassment lawsuit.

*Points to Above Comment*

When my last "Employer" canned me the reason they told me was Utter BS, not only that but when I applied for Unemployment they told the Unemployment office that I had Never worked for them (in-spite of tax records proving otherwise) as a result they were investigated and fined by the Dept of Labor over it and a can of worms it opened, and they retaliated by putting me on an Employment Blacklist.

As a result I had to start up my own business to get an income.
(Mostly a Blessing In Disguise)

Also, dust off your résumé and begin updating it now. Try to think of people at your former place of employment who can be used as references and contact them as soon as you can. If you haven't already done so, start cutting your expenses. Separate the "wants" from the "needs" and start eliminating things that aren't necessary. Reduce your cellphone plan to something smaller or go pre-paid. Think in terms of basic survival, but also needed for job hunting.

Yes, Time can be a major factor, get applying for jobs asap.

How you handle this, Roxy, is going to depend on your personal circumstances. Whether or not you have legal recourse, whether you can find a lawyer to take up your case, whether you are willing to go through a possibly long and difficult fight, whether or not you have other employment opportunities available to you, etc, etc.

I hope it works out well for you -- even better than you can imagine at the moment.

It is a cruel reminder that we all have to be careful about exposing ourselves to a world that just doesn't get it. Trans people remain a marginalized minority in society, subject to unfair, if not criminal abuse.

Our hearts are with you, Roxy.

Clara

I say this as an employer .
If the company has dismissed you without due process than you have the right to take them to an industrial tribunal .
Take them to the cleaners
If you need any pointers don't be shy . Pm me.

Wishing you luck in what ever you decide to do.

Not if you live in a "So-Called" "Right to Work" State, they can fire you for Any/No Reason Fair/Unfair (even if it's only a manager/supervisor that simply takes a dislike to you) and you have ZERO Recourse.

The same holds true in an "At Will" state. In fact, the implication of "at will" employment is that one is neither required nor expected to give more than a moment's notice s/he is quitting since either party can end the relationship at any time, though not giving two weeks is highly frowned upon even when the employer doesn't take those two weeks and lets you go immediately. As best I can tell, the difference between "right to work" and "at will" hinges on whether or not one is required to join a union (or pay the equivalent in the form of contributions to a charity that the union likes). In right-to-work states, union membership cannot be required as a condition of employment. That's all it means. It has nothing to do with some guarantee that one will be employed.