Cristy, I am so sorry you had to go through that. Know that you are not at fault. Seeing as how Washington State does have protection laws, I would for sure file a discrimination suit against Ross and the manager herself. You do not have to put up with it.
They probably don't pay their help very much so you get the bottom of the barrel!Originally Posted by Karren Hutton
John (Legal name)
Preferred pronouns: he, his, him
Christy- I want to tell you how horrified I was to read about your ordeal at the lynnwood Ross. The humiliation you had to endure was no less than outrageous. In fact, by angrily ordering you to immediately exit the dressing room without explanation, they came close to exhibiting threatening behavior.
I definitely think that the Lynnwood Ross should be pulled up short on this one. They must be made to understand that as a place of public accommodation in Washington State they are not entitled to discriminate on the basis of gender expression.
I am so sorry this happened to you, I sent a complaint and let them know their actions are a violation and an exposure to a tort.
[SIZE="4"]First of all, Christy, consider this a hug from me...How awful an experience! The "Guy" side of me wants to thump a person for that kind of cruelty! Chin up, girl, keep being true to yourself!
Hugs again to you[/SIZE]
[SIZE="4"][/SIZE]
OMG Christy! I can't believe it!That's terrible you poor girl! How can anyone be so ignorant as that. What does it matter to anyone that you are in a private changeroom cubicle by yourself trying on some dresses. How is that harming anyone? The manager's behaviour is outright shocking and should definately be reported. The store owes you an apology and the manager should be fired for treating a customer that way.
My heart goes out to you.
Vicki
Christy, YOU DID NOTHING WRONG!
I hope you feel you can use this as an opportunity to combat a form of pernicious discrimination. Here is the Human Rights Commission's complaint page that deals directly with this form of discrimination:
http://www.hum.wa.gov/ComplaintProcess/Index.html
I understand that you might be reluctant to be open about the situation, but it would be a way to claim your right, in your own mind and in the eyes of society, to be who you are. You might also inquire of the Commission if there is a way to file the complaint while preserving your privacy.
I wrote the following letter and sent it to the store using this page:
http://www.rossstores.com/cu.aspx
Store: 18520 33rd Ave W Lynnwood, WA
I just discovered that a transgendered individual was harassed and humiliated in your store today. After being let into a dressing room by a sales associate, the manager then loudly demanded that the customer leave immediately. In addition to the moral reprehensibility of the manager, it appears that the manager, and thus the store, are in direct violation of Washington State law RCW 49.60. You can read about the law here:
http://www.hum.wa.gov/ComplaintProcess/Index.html
In particular, the law prohibits discrimination "in a public accommodation" on the basis of several factors including "Gender Identity." The Human Rights Commission's page clearly cites a store as being an example of public accommodation.
The actions of the manager were appalling even if the law had not explicitly covered the situation. The illegality of the actions is serious. And, ultimately, as word of this is spreading, you should be concerned about your profits even if you are not concerned with human rights. I am telling acquaintances to avoid your stores until there is a clear and strong message from your corporation that you will not tolerate discrimination.
i do not know if i did something wrong, of if ross is no longer accepting reports about this. but they rejected my letter noting this event.
Loni.
.
[SIZE="3"]Well Christy, sounds like you've got lots of supportive friends here. Count me in their number too. I never shop in the brick and mortar stores because of size difficulties so I've never encountered anything so gross as their shocking behavior at Ross.
Take care sweetie. Time will heal.[/SIZE]
Lynn Marie
Click here to see me on Flickr
Wow!! I'm sorry you were put into this situation and what that manager did to you was wrong.. She should be fired AND you should file a complaint and lawsuit ASAP.
I sent an email to complain.
As a transgendered person, I am a member of an internet based discussion group, whereupon I read one members horrific ordeal suffered at one of your stores, specifically the one located at 18520 33rd Avenue W # A, Lynnwood, WA 98037, where this transwoman was discriminated against and deliberately humiliated and accosted her in a loud and undignified manner causing this innocent transwoman much mental anguish, pain and suffering due to the managers treatment of her. This transwoman was trying on clothing to ensure that they fit and she had intended on making numerous purchases, yet your store manager willfully discriminated against her and treated her in such a horrible way that she should immediately be terminated from employment.
Further, I suggest you train your store employees to treat ALL customers with RESPECT. It is ILLEGAL in the state of Washington to discriminate against anyone, including for gender identity, consequently, you're very likely to be defendant in an upcoming lawsuit should this transwoman or any of the transgender rights groups file suit against you.
I for one will boycott your company until you remedy this situation by firing that manager, and apologizing to the transwoman that would of been your customer had your manager not been a prejudiced bigot.
Note that I fully intend on spreading word of this story to hundreds of my transgendered friends on facebook and twitter.
Yours Sincerely,
Lita.
Grrr.... I just posted on their facebook wall
http://www.facebook.com/RossDressforLess?v=wall
DISCRIMINATION based on gender identity is ILLEGAL in the state of Washington. I DEMAND that the manager of your store located at 8520 33rd Avenue W # A, Lynnwood, WA 98037 be FIRED IMMEDIATELY for her deliberate discrimination and humiliation of a transgendered woman today.
I too wrote on their facebook wall
It seems Ross condones unlawful behaviour by their staff. Recently in their Lynwood, Washington store, a manager discriminated against someone on the basis of her gender in direct violation of state law.
Check out this link if you are wondering about joining Safe Haven.
This above all: To thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any
Galileo said "You cannot teach a man anything" and they accuse ME of being sexist
Never ascribe to malice that which can be easily explained by sheer stupidity
You ladies are so wonderful. I can't express enough how much your support means to me. Here is a copy of the mail I sent to their customer service e-mail and their inverstor relations e-mail. I couldn't find any executives addresses otherwise, I would have peppered them as well.
To all concerned,
As a transgendered person, I am sensitive to the reaction I get from the public
regarding my appearance. I take great pride in my ability to weather those
storms and still function within the world we all live. It is because of this
that I am so troubled by the treatment I received in your store today (18520
33rd Ave W Lynnwood, WA). I came into the store in my skirt, sweater and heels,
presenting as a transgendered woman and proceeded to select items for purchase.
There were a handful of items I needed to try on prior to purchase and so I made
my way to the dressing rooms. I hung my clothes on the rack and after receiving
my card with the quantity, left my cart full of other items to try on four
dresses.
Once I had the first dress on (which fit beautifully), the following
confrontation ensued:
BAM BAM BAM "YOU NEED TO COME OUT OF THE DRESSING ROOM!"
"Uh, excuse me?"
"THIS IS THE MANAGER, YOU NEED TO GET OUT OF THE DRESSING ROOM!"
I peek out the door and there is this woman, 5' 6" ish late twenties maybe early
thirties. "YOU HAVE TO GET OUT OF THE DRESSING ROOM NOW!"
I asked "Do I need to change?"
"YOU NEED TO PUT ON YOUR REGULAR CLOTHES AND LEAVE THE DRESSING ROOM NOW!"
I almost threw up a little. I was a wreck. I lost one of my earring clasps. I
gathered up my stuff and took the 4 dresses I was trying on and walked out of
the dressing room.
There were people standing around and as I got near the manager, she made a
comment to someone else "There's a situation going on right now but it is almost
over."
Apparently, I was the situation. I hung the clothes on the rack next to the
young girl who let me into the dressing room, grabbed my jacket out of my cart
(which by the way was filled with a new jacket, two sweaters, some pants and a
pajama set in leopard print and a pair of shoes).
I have been told by others in my community that they have already written
complaints and for that I am so grateful to them for taking up a battle that I
am not even sure I have the stomach for. It is for them that I write this to you
tonight.
What you have done to me is so incredibly humiliating. You have managed to steal
my dignity and turn me into a public spectacle. The acts you have taken upon me
are not only morally reprehensible but also violate Washington state law. I am
being encouraged to start litigation and seek remediation from you. I have not
sought the advice of counsel yet and I am still trying to deal with the emotions
I am facing.
I have been other places while dressed as a woman and never received such
treatment. If your policy is to not serve the transgendered community, you
should post this where it can be easily seen. As I have heard throughout the
day, there is a small wave of people spreading the word about this incident
throughout the LBGT community. I think there is a contingent of people looking
to me for an answer from you on how this will be rectified. Your response to
this mail (or lack thereof) will be conveyed in the same manner as the original
incident was discussed.
I am in no way demanding any action on your part. You have treated me wrong as a
fellow human being and in the eyes of the laws of the state of Washington, you
have discriminated against me based solely on gender.
I will anxiously wait for your response.
Sincerely,
Christy
I will keep you posted as things progress. Thank you again for all the support and kind words.
Hi Christy,
Hope you are feeling better with all the support you are getting, it's one of the great things about having a home here
Ross just received a another customer service issue email, from all the way across the Pacific Ocean. Hope this helps wake them up.....or at the very least, one individual in particular.
Keep your head up.
Tash
Just read about this, and I'm going to send hdQtrs a message ASAP. No one has mentioned it, but I imagine that The Manager got a Complaint from some busybody, and certainly over-reacted. I have shopped Ross in The Past, and I THOUGHT they were TG friendly. They certainly make enough money off of us, that they ought to be! Initial Evidence points to A Shift Managers Stupidity in handling a Delicate Situation.
I can't imagine this is Corporate Policy. You should be getting a HUGE Apology, freebies, and a plea to "let bygones, be bygones." Since they have probably broken Washington State Law, they probably realize they are looking down The Barrel of A Legal Cannon. I suspect somebody up at Corporate Legal is going to be very Pissed Off! All of these messages of complaint will certainly have an effect, I am pretty damn sure they will quickly recognize that they have mightily angered The Community....That's a Bad Idea!
I know your hurt, and rightly so. But, your Bad Incident may cause a lot of Good! Corporate is going to have to respond to situations like this. If they haven't set policy, if they haven't started Gender-Sensitivity Training, I bet they soon will. Your (Pending Lawsuit) is going to make "The Suits" sit up, and take notice.
Peace and Love, Joanie
Christy, I am so glad you have written that email. I hope you get a response soon, I agree with others that the "suits" at Ross head office will probably be looking at what kind of damage limitation will be needed here.
If you need to up the ante at all, you might look into the Washingto Human Rights Commisssion.
Check out this link if you are wondering about joining Safe Haven.
This above all: To thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any
Galileo said "You cannot teach a man anything" and they accuse ME of being sexist
Never ascribe to malice that which can be easily explained by sheer stupidity
You Go Christy. I fully support you although I am about as far from you as I could possibly be and we have no Ross stores here.
The suits deserve a huge wakeup.
There is a saying here "strike a woman and you strike a rock"
Oh Christy. what a bummer. I agree with everyone else. Ross deserves a formal complaint! Most of my experiences with Ross stores here in the southeast U.S. have been very positive. I have even had lots of help from the s/a's. Seems like the store you were at has an a$$-hole for a manager, who has let that position go to her head. Although this incident probably is not an isolated one, the more complaints a retailer receives, the more likely changes will eventually be made.
P.S. WAY TO GO !!!! Your letter is the bomb!
Last edited by erickka; 11-10-2010 at 06:40 AM.
Here is a copy of the email I sent this morning to support Christy. I think we should all write something like this.
[SIZE=2]Dear Madam/Sir:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]A friend of mine living in your area attended your store in Lynnwood Washington yesterday. She is a transgendered person who was shopping for clothing in your store. After having made several selections and was trying on more clothing the following happened.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]After my friend was let into the dressing room to try on clothes by a sales assistant, she was "removed" from the dressing room by your store manager in the most inappropriate way. The manager behavior was not only indiscreet by shouting at my friend, and making inapproriate comments, but also embarrassed her in front of other customers. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]Most other clothing stores are embracing transgendered persons as good and loyal customers. It would appear that your manager at Lynnwood needs to be alerted to her behavior and requires sensitivity training to enable her to deal with these situations appropriately. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]I would appreciate if you could report back to me whether this matter has been addressed.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]Yours very truly[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]Martin D*****
In my view we should do this not only when something happens but also let stores know if we had a good experience. I have done this for a while now and it has paid off in our local stores. Almost all of them got positive feedback from head office and this has made the experience for me even better.
Christy, I am so proud of you that you wrote to them.
Kathryn
[/SIZE]
"Never forget the many ways there are to be human" (The Transsexual Taboo)
For real, sounds like law suit is in order, just talk to an attorney and see if you have a case cause normally attorneys will do a free consultation to see if you could have a case.
If we don't fight at each opportunity, we will continue to be held down.
You think other groups would take this lying down?
It takes a true Erin to be a pain in the assatar.
Ladies stop for a second and think. Every one in the area should go to that store and go to try on a dress. The larger the group the better. Let everyone know LGBT needs to hear about this and any local groups. This is the perfect time to show the store that we are feed up with being treated like that. Not only complain but put it on the WEB. one person saying that they will no longer shop there is nothing to the store but hundreds will effect the store. If I was near that store I would be in it today.
TO OVER WEIGHT TO POST A PHOTO, MY wife tells me I look like I am pregnant
Christi,
Not only would I register a formal complaint, I would copy this entire thread and send it to them. They need to know we are a community that supports each other, and if this is going to be a company policy, then they need to know what the economic fall out would be for the chain.
The best part about this incident is that Christi has been able to see the support from a close knit group of friends (even those she had no idea she has) and also how rapidly we as a group can come to action.
Congratulations Girls
Jenny
Last edited by Jenny Doolittle; 11-10-2010 at 08:03 AM.
Add me to the list of E-mails sent! I will not put the whole thing up here, but they know at length of my disappointment.
I really think that they are getting the message.
The more the better!
Just sent in my complaint--
I am so disappointed in Ross. A transgendered friend of mine just recounted a shopping experience that no one should ever have to endure. The incident occured at at a RDFL located at 18520 33rd Avenue W # A, Lynnwood, WA 98037-4726 (425) 771-0607.
My friend, who is transgendered, was presenting as female and had been shown to a dressing room to try on several items by a Ross employee. Minutes later, my friend was loudly ordered out of a dressing room by a store manager. The manager caused a huge scene, embarrassing and mortifying my friend who actually became ill later that day.
I would think that in this day and age, any corporate HQ would ensure that it had a clear, fair and lawfully complying policy in place with regard to transgendered people who patronize their retail operations. I would also expect that some sort of action--from termination to remedial training--take place with the manager.
Regards,
Jillian Jones
Last edited by JaytoJillian; 11-10-2010 at 08:56 AM.
I have also contacted my local Ross Store and talked to the manager. She assured me that that won't happen at her store. She was very nice and encouraged me to shop in femme as I would be welcome at anytime. I have given this some thought and will be visiting this store in femme this week will let everyone know how it goes.
Sorry for your event, YOU DID NOTHING WRONG !!!!!
I applaud everyone who voices there opion on this subject to there local store. Its HIGH time we are treated with respect. Thats my rant for the day.
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