Lake Charles transgender man sues Tower Loan after boss insisted he dress as a woman | Crime / Police

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Transgender man claims a Lake Charles financial firm fired him after a manager insisted he behave and dress like a woman, according to a federal civil rights lawsuit filed on Monday at the New Orleans.

Tristan Broussard, 21, said in an interview Monday that he was thrilled two years ago when he started a management training program at the Lake Charles branch of Tower Loan.

Broussard, who was born female, dresses and acts like a man and had undergone several years of testosterone therapy when he was hired, according to his lawsuit.

But soon after starting as an intern, her branch supervisor noticed her Louisiana driver’s license listed her gender as female. Broussard explained that he was a transgender man and was glad his supervisor didn’t seem to think this would be a problem.

“Most people who don’t know me before can’t tell,” Broussard said Monday, wearing a collared shirt and sporting a neat beard.

A few days later, Tower Loan vice president David Morgan arrived at the branch and called Broussard to a meeting. Morgan handed Broussard a copy of the company’s dress code for women and a statement that he wanted Broussard to sign.

“He said, ‘If another guy who worked here came to work with a dress, what would that be like?’” Said Broussard. “I told him it wasn’t the same.

Tower Loan attorneys did not immediately return the appeals from NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune Monday.

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Morgan, according to the lawsuit, asked Broussard to sign a two paragraph statement acknowledging that “Broussard’s preference to act and dress like a man, despite being born of a woman, is not something that will conform to Tower Loan staff policies, “and that Broussard would follow the dress code for women.

Broussard, according to the lawsuit, attempted to explain that his gender identity was male and that he could not agree to the terms of Tower Loan. Morgan told Broussard he was fired, but said if Broussard “has had surgeries and we can see results” he might consider hiring him back.

Broussard said he spent a month after being made redundant looking for a new job while seeking legal help. He is represented by the Southern Poverty Law Center and the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

His attorney, SPLC staff attorney Sam Wolfe, said on Monday that the civil rights law prohibits employers from discriminating against workers on the basis of their gender and that recent interpretations of the 1964 law have protected rights transgender people.

Wolfe added that the US Department of Justice recently filed lawsuits against companies in Oklahoma, Michigan and Florida, accusing them of discriminating against transgender employees.

Broussard’s lawsuit seeks damages and attorney fees, as well as an injunction preventing Tower Loan from discriminating against transgender workers. Broussard said his dismissal plunged his life into temporary disarray and was a painful reminder of the discrimination he sometimes faced growing up in little Hathaway, Louisiana, less than an hour from Lake Charles.

“I want justice,” Broussard said. “What happened to me was not a good thing. But I would like to see progress.”

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