http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45985264/ns/us_news-life/#.TxStjCM63BG

Quote :

Woman says her fake penis got her fired
Worker says she was debating gender reassignment when she wore a prosthetic penis to work at a snack factory

msnbc.com staff and news service reports
updated 1/13/2012 9:16:26 AM ET


SCRANTON, Pa. — A northeastern Pennsylvania woman says she was fired from her job at a frozen-snack factory for wearing a prosthetic penis to work while contemplating gender reassignment. She is now suing.

Pauline Davis, 45, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit Wednesday against J&J Snack Foods Corp., a maker of frozen sweets and other snacks, over her termination from the company's plant in Moosic, near Scranton.

Davis says she wore the prosthetic to work as a line inspector, confiding in several co-workers about the device, and someone told management, according to the complaint, which was first reported in the Philadelphia Daily News. According to the suit, Davis was fired even though the device didn't interfere with her work.

Hormone treatments
Davis' suit claims a male employee undergoing hormone treatments and female clothing was treated more favorably.

Further, the Daily News reported, her Bucks County-based attorney, Lalena J. Turchi, argued that Davis' fake penis was concealed and "in no way interfered with her ability to do her job."

Davis filed a complaint in March 2010 with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission office in Philadelphia, the paper reported, claiming gender and gender-identity discrimination.

She is seeking back pay, damages for suffering and humiliation, and punitive damages, according to this week's lawsuit.

No comment
The Daily News said it tried unsuccessfully to reach Davis. In addition, her attorneys did not return telephone calls or emails for comment.

According to the paper, J&J Snack Foods Corp., based in Pennsauken, Pa., manufactures, markets and distributes treats including soft pretzels, slushies, frozen pops, cookies and churros. A J&J spokeswoman referred the paper to a human-resources supervisor, who did not return a telephone call.

A phone message left by The Associated Press at New Jersey-based J&J was not immediately returned Thursday.

Y'know, I have a real penis.

I could probably get fired if I talked about it with my co-workers.

If she wasn't walking around like this, I don't see what the problem is

LOL. Why would she tell people?

Nystyle709 wrote:

LOL. Why would she tell people?

Thank you.

I haven't read anywhere what was actually said. She may have just commented about it in passing. But the article does state she was "contemplating" having the surgery so it might have been unnecessary to share news about the prosthetic with people who aren't actual friends just yet. Now if she had been undergoing the treatment using male hormones it wouldn't be an issue to share some of it with coworkers so they know what to expect & the changes that were to come. This might be the explanation for why the other employee was treated differently (assuming that's true). That employee is already undergoing the treatment while she's just thinking about it.

I'm still not quite sure why she felt it would be necessary to share that at this point. It's just a small flaccid nonfunctional apparatus. Not sure if it's a reason to be fired but not sure she has a case either. If she had just said she was contemplating having the surgery then I don't see an issue at all there. But if she was going into graphic detail about her fake penis that might be another thing from a legal perspective.