Amazon Sued by Transgender Woman for Discrimination and Harassment

The Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF) has filed a lawsuit against Amazon.com Inc on behalf of two former employees. The couple Allegra Schawe-Lane and Dane Lane allege the company harassed them and threatened them physically.

According to Tech Crunch, after Schawe-Lane was outed as transgender, she began experiencing “discrimination and harassment by Amazon employees, supervisors, and managers,” the lawsuit alleges. The discrimination and harassment, according to the lawsuit, entailed being intentionally referred to by male pronouns and titles “with the purpose and effect of humiliating” her, sexual harassment, threats of physical violence, “hostility” that made it hard for her to use the women’s bathroom, pay deductions and a lot of other really messed up stuff.

In addition to what Schawe-Lane was subjected to, her partner faced retaliation, sexual harassment, disparaging comments from co-workers and a hostile work environment, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit, among other things, seeks for the court to order that Amazon implement policies, programs and training that ensure equal employment opportunities for people who are transgender, have transitioned genders or are undergoing a gender transition.