Photo: ACLU
A former waitress at Chili’s alleges she was passed over for multiple promotions because managers wanted her to “dress more gender appropriate,” and theseconditions eventually lead her to quit.
Over the course of two years, Meagan Hunter worked multiple jobs at a Chili’s in Phoenix, Arizona, while raising her young son as a single parent. When her supervisors urged her to apply for a management position in May 2018, she naturally jumped at the chance.
“It was a great opportunity, and I was excited about the prospect of a promotion,” Hunter, 35, wrote in a blog posted to theAmerican Civil Liberties Union’s websiteon January 16. “I was planning to buy a home for the first time, and the pay increase would have helped a lot.”
“I brushed it off and applied to be a certified shift leader anyway,”wroteHunter, a single mother to a young son.
ACLU
Yet, the subject would come up again when she interviewed with the district manager himself, who offered her the job, with strings attached.
“I was offered the promotion — on one condition: I needed to ‘dress more gender appropriate,’ in the words of my manager,” Hunter explained. “I asked him, ‘Are you telling me that I need to have my breasts hanging out to be successful in your company?’ He answered, ‘Not in those words.’ ”
Hunter quit the next day because she couldn’t “continue to work at a place where my willingness to conform to a stereotype was more important than my job performance.” She would later learn from a coworker that management had considered her for a bartending position, but “didn’t want a gay girl behind the bar,” she claimed.
The experience, Hunter said, had inspired her to finally come out with her story. With the help of the ACLU, she recently fileda complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commissionagainst Chili’s for sex discrimination.
“I am speaking out now to tell that manager — and every other person who thinks similarly — that women do not need to be stereotypically feminine in order to get a promotion or be an effective employee or manager,” she wrote.
In a statement to PEOPLE, Chili’s says they do not tolerate discriminatory behavior and deny Hunter was officially offered a promotion.
“Meagan Hunter was not denied a promotion at Chili’s, but instead she was identified as a high potential Team Member and offered the opportunity to be promoted into our Certified Shift Leader program to take the next step on her career journey,” the statement reads.
“Feedback was given to her about our manager dress code guidelines, which apply to all managers regardless of gender identification or sexuality, but absolutely no mention was made of any need to conform to gender-specific clothing.”
The statement continues: “We will not and do not tolerate discriminatory behavior at Chili’s. We stand committed to the tens of thousands of ChiliHeads from all walks of life who represent what we stand for each day. To all of our Guests, fans, former and current Team Members – we love you just as you are, and we intend to show that every single day.”
Hunter says she has since found a new job, but worries at how long it will take for her to be considered for a leadership position again.
“My dream of buying my first home is on hold, which obviously disappoints me,” she wrote in her blog post. “But the alternative — being forced to conform to a stereotype that conflicts with my identity every time I go to work — would have been unbearable.”
source: people.com
