Workplace Discrimination Law Test Case: Employee Claims Homophobic Abuse

A gay man in the US state of Tennessee is believed to be the first person to invoke last month’s historic US Supreme Court ruling on workplace discrimination following an incident where he was “humiliated” and called a “faggot” by his bosses.

Jacob Brashier, who lives in Blount County, Tennessee is believed to be the first person in the country to use the new landmark US Supreme Court ruling that was passed last month, giving LGBT+ people the right of protection from workplace discrimination based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.

The ruling which extended the sex-based employment discrimination protections known as Title VII to LGBT+ people in all 50 states essentially protects employees from being fired or discriminated against by their employer for their sexual orientation and gender identity.

According to Knox News, Brashier is suing his former employer, Manorhouse Management Inc, for allegedly firing him and inturn violated the new Supreme Court ruling.

Brashier who was hired as a certified nursing assistant by the firm in April 2020 was fired on June 19, just four days after the Supreme Court ruling.

Brashier’s lawsuit, filed by attorney James Friauf, claims the gay man was “summarily subjected to disparagement, ridicule, and humiliation in the course of his employment with defendant.”

According to the lawsuit, “Brashier began experiencing discriminatory treatment by his supervisors beginning on or about June 6, 2020, including being called a “faggot” on several occasions and having a soiled rag thrown in his face.”

When he submitted a complaint about the alleged homophobic treatment, Brashier claims the company accused him of lying.

Brashier has also alleged that his former employer then retaliated against his complaint by cutting his pay, before devising a reason to fire him.

The lawsuit adds, “He files this action to rectify the wrongs he has experienced as a result of his sexual orientation, as well as to advance the rights of his fellow LGBTQ community members, who have been historically and unlawfully marginalized and oppressed for generations.”

Last Updated on Jul 17, 2020