When it comes to protected classes under employment laws in the United States, religion is most definitely at the top of the protected list. No one should be harassed, mistreated or fired because of his or her religious beliefs. It is wrong, and it is against the law.
A New York employment law case that’s in the news right now brings to light a couple of sensitive issues. One is freedom of religion among employees; the other is laws regarding transgender men and women’s rights in society.
At the center of a wrongful termination suit is the question, “Did a Queens worker get fired for being Catholic, or was his employment terminated because of his treatment toward a transgender customer at his place of work?”
According to the ex-Macy’s worker’s wrongful termination suit, the business fired him after he expressed his religious beliefs as a Catholic. He expressed his views about transgender matters when an incident related to a transgender customer in a store bathroom occurred at the store.
Was it the worker’s religious talk and identification of himself as a Catholic that cost him his job? That is what he claims. Macy’s, however, claims that firing the worker was not a form of discrimination. Essentially, the employer argues that the termination was the result of mistreating a customer.
We have discussed the matter of bathroom use and the transgender community in the past on this blog. A person is legally allowed to use the bathroom designated for the gender with which they identify. An employee who tries to block that from happening, therefore, might face repercussions.
There are various sides to every story and to every wrongful termination and discrimination lawsuit. Someone who feels that they have been fired for unlawful reasons should do as the plaintiff did in this sensitive case: talk to an attorney who can help them uncover the truth about their case and protect their rights.
