After a series of workplace tensions where transgender software engineer Jazz Lyles, who specifically identifies as transmasculine and nonbinary, was both reportedly misgendered and ignored, they have filed a complaint against Nike.
Despite Nike’s recent show of inclusion and equality through their ‘Just Do It’ campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick, Lyles has detailed a work environment that nurtures prejudice. According to Willamette Week, Lyles joined Nike’s team in May 2017 as an independent contractor and regularly corrected co-workers who referred to them as ‘she’ and ‘her’ instead of the preferred ‘they,’ ‘them’ and ‘their.’ Lyles said they even tried to educate colleagues by sending one employee an article titled, “What You’re Actually Saying When You Ignore Someone’s Gender Pronouns,” to which they received no reply and no further communication.
One co-worker reportedly even went so far as to tell Lyles, “I’m really not sure what to call you. I know I’m not supposed to call you ‘shemale.’”
Nike did not take corrective action, and Lyles was transferred to a different team, Willamette Week reported.
“It singled me out, made me a problem, and exacerbated the issues with my team,” Lyles wrote in a complaint, according to Willamette week. “It would be like holding a training on racial sensitivity with the only team with a black person on it.”
Lyles began working from home, and a manager’s request to move Lyles into a permanent position was denied by higher-ups, Oregon Live reported. The reason, a supervisor was reported saying, was due to a ‘hiring freeze.’ Lyles fails to believe this, however, due to their knowledge of other contractors being moved into permanent roles.
“Due to my gender, gender identity, complaints of harassment, and good faith reports of violations of state and federal law,” were the reasons Lyles claims they were not hired, Oregon Live reported.
Lyles' attorney filed their complaint on Tuesday alleging discrimination and retaliation. Nike has yet to respond to press inquiries.
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