Transgender Man From Minnesota Files Discrimination Lawsuit Against Walmart

Transgender Man From Minnesota Files Discrimination Lawsuit Against Walmart

The former employee claims he was constantly harassed by coworkers at the West St. Paul store.

A transgender man has filed a lawsuit against Walmart, claiming he was frequently harassed by supervisors when he was an employee at its West St. Paul store as a teenager.

The lawsuit filed on behalf of Jackson Villarreal claims the harassment happened in the fall of 2020, sparking investigations by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights the following year. The MDHR's official report, released in 2023, that found there was probable cause that Villarreal was harassed because of his gender identity.

Villarreal, who was 16 years old at the time, claims the harassment included instances when a supervisor offered another worker $100 to pull down Villarreal's pants and another time when a team leader suggested someone should "snap [his] bra" when talking about the size of Villarreal's chest.

The MDHR said in its report it wasn't until months later that the supervisor responsible for making the "pants bounty" comment was fired by Walmart. After he learned of that threat, Villarreal never returned to work.

The state's investigation found that Villarreal had probable cause for being "constructively discharged" by the company. According to state law, being constructively discharged means a worker resigns due to intolerable working conditions, which includes discrimination.

When he started working at Walmart in 2020, Villarreal said he had to apply with his given name at the time and gender. Villarreal claimed supervisors would still call him by his given name and not preferred name, even after requesting them to stop, which escalated the harassment, according to the lawsuit.

The Department of Human Rights concluded in its report that Villarreal had been subjected to "severe and pervasive harassment" based on his gender identity. After Walmart appealed the department's findings, the MDHR affirmed its determination.

The lawsuit comes at a time when the Trump administration is moving to eliminate transgender discrimination cases, among other things. The recent executive order states that the U.S. government will recognize only two sexes, male and female, that are fixed at birth.

"This sweeping redefinition threatens federal programs used by transgender people and impacts federal documentation such as passports, which can currently reflect the gender identity of transgender and nonbinary people," the U.S. Department of Human Rights said in response to the order, announced on Jan. 23.

Attorneys representing Villarreal tells Bring Me The News, while they're unable to comment on specifics relating to the case, they "believe strongly" in it and are "looking forward to proving up his claims in court."

A spokesperson for Walmart provided the following statement on the matter to BMTN:

"Walmart does not tolerate discrimination of any kind. We will continue to defend the company against this litigation."

SOURCE: Bring Me The News