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Lawsuit: Transgender Hostess Harassed, Mocked At Westchester Applebee's

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. - The firing of a transgender employee at a Westchester Applebee’s over alleged sexual harassment has led to a discrimination lawsuit from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Applebee's in Hawthorne in February.

Applebee's in Hawthorne in February.

Photo Credit: Google Maps

A Title VII lawsuit was filed by the EEOC, the organization announced on Friday, against Apple Metro Inc., which operates Applebee’s in Westchester, following the alleged incident, which happened to an employee in Hawthorne.

Staff members allegedly made inappropriate comments about the employee’s transgender status, referring to her with male names and pronouns, making repeated offensive comments regarding her genitals. When the employee complained about the alleged harassment to management, she was subsequently fired from her position, according to the EEOC complaint.

“Employees repeatedly stood in groups gawking, laughing and pointing at the aggrieved individual, and made crude, disparaging remarks about her being transgender,” according to the lawsuit, which was filed earlier this month.

The lawsuit does not provide a reasoning for the employee’s firing, though it notes that she had never had any warnings or reprimands regarding her performance.

It is not immediately clear how much compensation the EEOC is seeking monetarily from Apple Metro, though they have requested that Applebee’s institute new policies to prevent potential sexual discrimination or harassment in the future.

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