Transgender Employee Sues Macy’s in California

A transgender person who was born male but lives as a woman has filed a lawsuit against a Macy’s store in Torrance, alleging that managers and co-workers there treated her unfairly and humiliated her.

Jason “Jazz” Araquel sued Macy’s for gender discrimination, harassment, retaliation and wrongful termination in Superior Court last week.

Her attorney Eric Castelblanco says Araquel is a pre-operative male-to-female transgender individual and her managers knew that when they hired her to work in the cosmetics department in 2006.

He says Macy’s fired Araquel for alleged insubordinatoin and using foul language in 2009.

Araquel says her co-workers harassed her and physically threw her out of the women’s restroom.

A call for comment to Macy’s was not returned.