Maybe coworkers keep using the wrong pronouns, your manager treats you differently after you transition, or suddenly how you dress becomes an issue. At Spiegelman Law PC, Pasadena gender discrimination attorney Samson Spiegelman understands that firsthand and can help connect what you’re experiencing at work to the protections California law may provide.
Gender Identity & Expression Discrimination, Legally Speaking
Under California law, your gender, gender identity, and gender expression are protected characteristics. That means an employer generally cannot discriminate against you in hiring, firing, pay, promotions, working conditions, or other employment decisions because you’re transgender, nonbinary, gender nonconforming, or because of how you identify or express your gender. California law also requires workplace dress standards to allow employees to dress consistently with their identity or expression.
In real life, though, discrimination rarely announces itself. Maybe you start getting written up after transitioning. Your manager intentionally misgenders you. You’re suddenly excluded from opportunities, or your gender expression becomes a workplace “issue” when it wasn’t before. Samson understands these experiences personally and professionally. As a transgender employment attorney, he can look at the full pattern of conduct and help you understand whether your rights may have been violated.
Do I Have a Viable Gender Identity & Expression Discrimination Case?
You may know that something changed at work without knowing whether it counts as discrimination. The timing, pattern of treatment, employer’s explanation, and connection to your gender identity or expression matter. It may be worth talking to Pasadena gender discrimination attorney Samson Spiegelman if:
- You were fired, demoted, or denied opportunities after coming out or transitioning
- You were repeatedly and intentionally misgendered or deadnamed at work
- You were treated differently because you’re transgender, nonbinary, or gender nonconforming
- You were targeted because of how you dress or otherwise express your gender
- You were denied access to facilities consistent with your gender identity
- You experienced harassment, jokes, slurs, or hostility related to your gender
- You noticed increased scrutiny or discipline after your gender identity became known
- You were retaliated against after reporting gender identity or expression discrimination
How Samson Can Help With Gender Identity & Expression Discrimination
When you are discriminated against on the basis of gender identity or expression, you shouldn’t have to educate your lawyer first before discussing your case. As a transgender employment attorney, Samson understands the context behind misgendering, deadnaming, transitioning at work, and other experiences that another attorney might overlook or misunderstand.
Samson can review workplace communications, personnel records, policies, and other evidence, build a timeline, and identify patterns connecting your treatment to your gender identity or expression. He then communicates with your employer, pursues discrimination, harassment, or retaliation claims, negotiates for compensation or workplace changes, and litigates when necessary, all while keeping your lived experience at the center of the case.
What Are the Potential Remedies in Gender Identity & Expression Discrimination Cases?
If your employer violated your rights because of your gender identity or expression, a legal claim may be able to address both the financial harm you experienced and the broader impact the discrimination had on you. California provides several potential remedies, but what may be available depends on the facts, evidence, type of claim, and how your case is resolved.
Potential remedies may include:
- Recovery of wages and benefits you lost because of the discrimination
- Compensation for future lost earnings in appropriate cases
- Compensation for emotional distress caused by the discriminatory treatment
- Reinstatement, hiring, or promotion when appropriate
- Reimbursement of certain out-of-pocket expenses
- Punitive damages when the legal requirements are met
- Recovery of attorney’s fees and litigation costs when available
- Changes to discriminatory workplace policies or practices
- Training or other measures to prevent future discrimination
- Corrections to employment records or other appropriate workplace relief
Hire Samson to Be Your Gay Lawyer!
If you’ve been misgendered, deadnamed, pushed aside after transitioning, or treated differently because of how you express your gender, you deserve a lawyer who understands why those experiences matter. Samson Spiegelman is a Pasadena gender discrimination attorney who brings his lived experience and employment law experience to representing workers throughout California.
Spiegelman Law handles cases on contingency, which means we only get paid if you do. That helps give you a fairer chance against employers with far more money and resources behind them. You don’t need to know whether what happened legally counts as discrimination before reaching out. Contact Samson today for a case review and tell us what happened.
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