TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - A Goodwill faces a discrimination lawsuit brought by an employee with a "gender nonconforming style of dress."
Goodwill Industries-Big Bend has been sued by Cassandra Wright, the legal guardian of Ja'Quontavius Bivens. The suit was filed in Leon County Circuit Court on Dec. 29.
The lawsuit alleges that Goodwill violated the Florida Civil Rights Act by subjecting Bivens to discriminatory treatment due to his gender and disability. The plaintiff claims that Bivens, an African American male who has a learning disability, was subjected to disparate treatment and different terms of employment conditions because of his gender identity and disability.
The suit says Bivens dressed a cisgender man in a shirt and tie for his job interview in April 2022. When he reported to work, he wore a wig, makeup and a dress.
The suit says Bivens would hear "a lot of laughter" and noticed stares that "appeared to be due to his nonconforming gender identity." This alleged ridicule continued and he was warned he would be fired if he kept his slow pace at work, which involved hanging and tagging clothes.
He was fired in May 2022 for low production numbers, though he says other with similar numbers faced no punishment.
"Bivens has been the victim of discrimination on the basis of Bivens' gender in that Bivens was treated differently than similarly situated employees of Defendant who are not transgender and has been subject to disparate and poor treatment on the basis, at least in part, of Bivens' gender," the lawsuit says.
Bivens is represented by Mare Mattox of Tallahassee.