We at Normandie Law Firm have been fighting gender discrimination for years. We know how difficult it can be for some workers to get hired and lead healthy jobs at hostile work environments, and we know that discrimination in everyday life is equally as rough to undergo. LGBTQ discrimination can happen anywhere, from your workplace to the mall, but not too many know that you could pursue legal action if you are denied entry of a premises on the basis of your gender. A California LGBT discrimination lawyer at Normandie Law Firm can help you pursue the necessary course of action if you suffered anti-LGBT discrimination. If you were denied services for being transgender, we can file a lawsuit against the business for not letting you use the facilities.
Places of LGBT Discrimination
You could be subjected to discrimination in various places. It is important that you stay calm and handle any situation with discussion first before anything else. If the other parties grow aggressive, you should contact law enforcement and a lawyer for transgender issues.
Some examples of locations of discrimination include:
- Malls: Although malls are generally open to the public, there have been many cases where people have called security or other authority figures to complain about transgender people using the bathrooms. Many times, this sentiment has even passed from the malls to the stores within them. If the mall didn’t let you use the men’s bathroom or didn’t let you use the women’s bathroom of your respective gender, you could file a lawsuit for discrimination.
- Outlet Stores and Clothing Establishments: Many stores have numerous fitting rooms and changing rooms for customers. In some cases, transgender individuals have been denied using gender-specific fitting rooms or help from store personnel.
- Gym: Gym locker rooms and bathrooms are generally kept distinct and separate. If the gym banned you because you attempted to use one of the bathrooms to match your gender identity, you could sue the gym for discrimination. You should pursue action if they didn’t let you use the locker room at the gym.
- Restaurant: Restaurants usually only have one set of bathrooms to monitor, and you may be barred from using a specific restroom if you are transgender. You can sue the restaurant for discrimination
- Schools: School buildings and dormitories are hotspots for discrimination, as many individuals undergoing transitioning or who have already identified as transgender are young and college-aged. Many schools have zero tolerance policies in numerous areas, one of which is the hotbed of transgender people using specific bathrooms. If you have been denied entry as a transgender person, you could sue the facilities and the school.
Although private locations that have paying members can reasonably refuse entry and usage of their facilities (much like employers can terminate employment at any moment for no reason), they cannot do so out of discrimination. This is an important distinction and it is the basis on which you can sue.
Discrimination Laws
The most common laws prohibiting sex and gender discrimination are present in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Education Amendments of 1972, and, in California, the Fair Employment and Housing Act of 1959 (FEHA). The FEHA specifically has protections for transgender individuals, and some of these have been expanded to include more than workplace and employment-related situations.
The FEHA expansion regarding bathrooms is an update with public accommodations; it states that transgender individuals have the right to use bathrooms that correspond with their preferred gender identity and that they cannot be forced to use another. Further, it is unlawful to require documentation or proof from these individuals to prove that they are the sexes they claim.
Therefore, if you were at the gym and the gym prohibited you from using the women’s locker room or the gym did not allow you to use the women’s bathroom despite you identifying as a female, you could take legal action. Similarly, if the gym did not let you use the men’s bathroom or if the gym did not let you use the men’s locker room despite you identifying as a male, you could sue.
Procedure to Filing a Lawsuit
If you have suffered discrimination based on your gender, you should pursue legal action with the help of a discrimination lawyer in Los Angeles, CA.
First, you should make sure that you have ample proof that the discrimination occurred. This can come in the form of emails written out to you or a coworker, docked pay for undisclosed reasons, and being terminated after declaring that you were transgender or planned on pursuing sex reassignment surgery. In public spaces, the proof could be statements from witnesses who saw the incident happen and who can testify that this sort of behavior is not an uncommon occurrence. For example, if you are transgender and they did not let you use the men’s locker room or if you are transgender and they did not let you use the women’s locker room, other gym patrons could testify that you were denied access.
Next, you should speak to the person in charge of the establishment to try and remedy the situation. You could have a meeting with a manager or supervisor and discuss how to prevent such discrimination from happening in the future, but in many cases, the manager might not be receptive; it is more prudent to the business to protect employees.
You should then file a complaint with the necessary entity; you may want to call customer service at a gym or the corporate offices of stores at the mall if you were discriminated against. In the scope of employment, you should call the EEOC and file a complaint through their agency.
Finally, you should reach out to a discrimination lawyer for transgender people. An attorney from our firm will be able to sufficiently represent you and fight for your rights.
Statute of Limitations for Discrimination Claims
The statute of limitations on lawsuits and prosecutions exists so that crimes and such are dealt with in a speedy manner. If cases are left sitting around or are not quickly submitted, evidence can get lost or corrupted, eyewitnesses and forget key details and points, businesses can go bankrupt, individuals can pass away or move away, and the damages could be long since healed.
For discrimination claims, you have 180 days from the date of the incident to pursue legal action. If you attempt to file a lawsuit after this time has passed, your claim will likely be rejected and thrown out. There are exceptions to this timeline (if you were a minor, for instance), and for additional extensions, you can either contact the Department of Labor to seek an increased time limit or reach out to a Los Angeles attorney who will be able to stretch the deadline.
Restitution from a Discrimination Claim
Our attorneys can help you receive various kinds of compensation from a discrimination claim. You may be able to receive reimbursement of lost wages you missed out on because you were not able to go to work due to legal proceedings or other extenuating circumstances, and we can help you receive future lost wages as well.
Further, the entire ordeal with discrimination may have caused you undue emotional stress and psychological trauma. It could have left you with mental scars, anxiety, PTSD, and other kinds of internal damages. We can make sure that you are fairly compensated for these noneconomic injuries.
Normandie’s Promise
Normandie Law Firm consists of a team of lawyers with one goal in mind: to help our clients receive the compensation they deserve and to keep them safe throughout their lawsuits. We know that you may have been discriminated against and it led to a bout of suffering. Our empathetic lawyers are here to see to it that the perpetrators are justly punished for their actions. We strive to effect change in all areas that are fraught with discrimination, from the workplace to the public sphere, and every transgender client we work with helps us remember that our goals are getting realized day by day.
We will aggressively pursue a settlement for you and will handle all aspects of your discrimination lawsuit. Our team will not rest until we are satisfied with the offer; if not, we will fight for your human rights in a court of law and showcase how you have been discriminated against and that the perpetrators should face punishment.
Call our law group today to set up a free legal consultation with a transgender friendly lawyer in Los Angeles. All of our consultations are confidential, so you will not have to worry about any personal details or information being exposed anywhere else. If you have questions about your claim or the laws regarding discrimination, we will gladly give you the necessary details.
Further, if you choose us to represent you, we will give you our zero fee guarantee. This guarantee states that you won’t have to pay us any legal expenses at all throughout your case. We will only get paid if we win; the money will be withdrawn from the settlement we bring you. If we lose, you won’t owe us a single penny, and you can walk away debt free to our law firm.
Let Normandie Law Firm help you if you are a transgender individual and you suffered discrimination. Call us today.
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