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Trans woman accuses Broadway Pagliacci of workplace discrimination

pagliacci_logoA transgender woman has accused Pagliacci Pizza of workplace discrimination after she said she was fired Friday from the shop’s Broadway location for seeking to ban a customer who dismissed her request to be identified as a woman.

The worker, who identified herself only as Dylan, recounted the story in a Tumblr post on Saturday, though the Tumblr page was not her own. CHS has been unable to contact Dylan to find out if she has taken any legal action. Pagliacci owner Matt Galvin confirmed some details of the incident and that Dylan had been an employee at the Broadway and E Republican Pagliacci for about one year. He said Dylan had put in her two week notice immediately after the incident occurred, but a manager fired her a short time later when she continued to openly criticize the company in front of customers.

“Generally, if you’re in the workplace and you’re publicly saying bad things about the company, its not going to end well,” Galvin told CHS.

Galvin issued a public apology on Tumblr and said he has reached out to Dylan several times to offer her her job back.

“We have a long history of having a diverse workforce which makes Pagliacci a cool company, and I would fight very hard to keep it that way.” he said. “If someone said something awful to one of our employees, I would love to kick them out, but I wasn’t there.”

According to the Tumblr post, Dylan said she became upset when a manager at Pagliacci stepped in to serve a customer that she refused to serve because he had twice called her “man” after she notified him she was a woman:

Just about midway through my shift working the til at Pag’s he showed up again, waiting at the slice bar for service. I stepped over to him and said, “The last time you were in here I corrected you on my gender and you laughed at me. That was really rude, and I’d like you to apologize.”

He replied, “I don’t really care what’s happening in your life, man, I just need my pizza.”

I responded, “I just need to be respected in my place of work, and I reserve the right to refuse service to you.”

In the statement, Dylan said her manager later told her that she did not have to serve the customer if he returned and that he had spoken with the customer about her gender, but said the restaurant would not ban customers for being rude. Dylan said she took the issue to another manager, who supported the previous managers response. After telling her co-workers about the incident inside the restaurant, Dylan said she was told to leave.

“If this was about anything else, like race or sexual orientation, something different would’ve happened,” Dylan said in the Tumblr post.

Galvin said Pagliacci managers would be receiving training on trans issues and how to deal with similar situations in the future.

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Eli
Eli
9 years ago

OP, if you’re reading this, please contact the Seattle Office for Civil Rights http://www.seattle.gov/civilrights/ and file a complaint. This case will be investigated and grievances mediated; Pagliacci could be taken to court on your behalf because of this. Please file a complaint; gender identity is a protected class in Seattle/King County and your rights are important. They weren’t respected initially, but there are people who can help. I don’t believe there is any cost to you.
http://www.seattle.gov/civilrights/howtoocr.htm

Tim
Tim
9 years ago
Reply to  Eli

Pagliacci did not discriminate. The employee was fired for her behavior.

The person that discriminated against her was a customer which is not illegal. Customers can discriminate all they want legally, its up to the establishment to refuse that customer’s business if they choose.

Kevin
Kevin
9 years ago
Reply to  Tim

Wells aid. Dylan intentionally escalated this and made it a personal crusade. Gender identity is an important issue and shouldn’t be turned into a side show for a youthful vendetta. I’ll support paggliaci’s.

AsherSea
AsherSea
9 years ago
Reply to  Kevin

+1

Pag's Neighbor and Customer
Pag's Neighbor and Customer
9 years ago
Reply to  AsherSea

Yep. Dylan made a fool of herself badmouthing in “the office”. She’s in for a world of disappointment if this is what sets her off.

Sparks
Sparks
9 years ago
Reply to  Tim

Wrong. The manager was discriminatory when he chose to allow that customer to be abusive to an employee who was transgender. You think he’d have blown it off if someone made a racial insult towards one of the employees? Of course not. We don’t tolerate that crap here, to anyone.

Michee
Michee
9 years ago
Reply to  Sparks

Lolololololol this tantrum may be the funniest yet!

CapitOl Hill Monster
CapitOl Hill Monster
9 years ago
Reply to  Eli

Eli, your comment would be appropriate IF a real incident had happened. PAG’S DID NOTHING WRONG

FACT: Dylan CONFRONTED a customer who had just walked in the door.

FACT: Dylan had already given notice. The minute she did that, Pag’s was free to end her employment at any given time. MANY companies don’t accept 2 weeks and promptly have you out the door faster than you can say “pizza, please”

to suggest ANYBODY take any action against Pag’s whatsoever is irresponsible, libelous on your part and frankly, pretty fucking stupid.

Kevin
Kevin
9 years ago

“well said.”

Oh Puh-leeze
Oh Puh-leeze
9 years ago

Yes, Dylan, everything is all about you. In fact, the entire universe deeply cares about your fragile sense of self. Please let us all know how we can help.

Wally Wilson
Wally Wilson
9 years ago

Because NO retail transaction should start with anything more personal than “What can I do for you today?”

Sadly, Dylan was on a Crusade.

JustinW
JustinW
9 years ago
Reply to  Wally Wilson

I agree. What happened to the chain of command before publicly criticizing the company that is giving you a pay check? I’m sure there was someone else she could have talked to about it above the store managers if she didn’t want to carry out a vendetta.

iluvcaphill
iluvcaphill
9 years ago

Yeah, not sure I can really sympathize with Dylan here. I worked retail for many years and have been called many things. Any good customer service provider learns how to not escalate these situations and even more how to not take things so personally.

In any event, Pagliacci didn’t do anything illegal, immoral or wrong in any way that I can see. Dylan was just spoiling for a fight it looks like.

SMAJ
SMAJ
9 years ago

You are a strong person, Dylan, and I know you don’t need my approval. Still, I would like to say that I recognize your right to demand respect in the workplace. Unfortunately, we are too often dependent upon our employer to decide the route we take to do that.

You had every right to demand an apology. You did the right thing by putting in a notice and quitting. And you had a right to speak out about the fact that you were being disrespected without being fired for it (a tactic often used on people who have put in their notice to keep them from receiving unemployment compensation).

The decision an employer makes is always going to be based on what’s best for business, not what’s best for you. If the restaurant is offering you your job back, they are most likely doing so to avoid a potential lawsuit and/or a boycott. The owner says, “We have a long history of having a diverse workforce which makes Pagliacci a cool company.” How about following the law and defending your employee against patrons who are treating them disrespectfully? That would be cool.

zeebleoop
9 years ago
Reply to  SMAJ

where in the law does it say a business has to defend its employee against rude customers?

from the article i took this away, “…Dylan said her manager later told her that she did not have to serve the customer if he returned and that he had spoken with the customer about her gender, but said the restaurant would not ban customers for being rude.”

what more should be asked for in this situation? that the manager take the customer out back and beat an apology out of him? life isn’t fair. many people are assholes. time to accept that fact and move on.

Celia
Celia
9 years ago
Reply to  zeebleoop

And, if you read Dylan’s acount of the incident http://poutypuffgirl.tumblr.com/post/91600534636/transmisogyny-at-broadways-pagliacci-pizza-resturant what I come away with is that Dylan was smarting for an argument, her target had no idea what she was talking about, then laughed uncomfortably when corrected. The next time he came in, Dylan demanded an apology. The customer said he didn’t want to be involved in her life and just wanted his pizza. I honestly fail to see where the customer was an aggressor here who should be banned from the restaurant. Young people say “man” and “dude” all the time, to men and women. This seems to me like Dylan is looking for a reason to sue.

calhoun
9 years ago
Reply to  Celia

I agree. You had to witness the episode to be sure, but it’s entirely possible the customer was just using the ubiquitous “man” in a general way, and was not being rude. Another example of this is the phrase “you guys” which is often used to refer to groups of women or mixed groups, as well as to groups of men.

SMAJ
SMAJ
9 years ago
Reply to  zeebleoop

” life isn’t fair. many people are assholes. time to accept that fact and move on.”

This is why I enjoy reading blog comments, because in a sea of stupidity, every once in a blue moon you come upon a pearl of wisdom such as this. Thanks for sharing.

Greg
Greg
9 years ago
Reply to  SMAJ

The employee did not have a “right” to demand an apology. By the account from both this blog and Dylan, the person walked in the door and was confronted. Now, when you are working, you are on someone else’s dime. They are paying for your time to be there, doing what they want you to do. To demand an apology when someone walks in the door for some transgression, real or imagined, doesn’t matter which, is pretty hostile. No matter, though, because the manager made a remedy so that the employee did not have to feel uncomfortable and disrespected. The employee has no RIGHTS when it comes to demanding that the company ban a certain customer because they offended you. The company may or may not do that. It is at their discretion, because it is THEIR business. You do not have a RIGHT to openly make negative commentary about your employer in front of customers. That is a terminable offense in virtually every company. The company followed the law. They did not discriminate and tried to accommodate the employee. But Dylan wanted one and only one solution. He doesn’t get to dictate the terms. Never mind that the use of the term “man” was clearly ubiquitous. The ONLY thing Pagliacci did wrong was to offer a job back to this person and not fully back their well trained managers.

Celia
Celia
9 years ago

I’m female and my two 20 something sons call me “dude” and say things like “no, man, I don’t want to go visit Grandma with you.” It’s slang. No one cares about your gender or gender identitity, honestly. I think the customer put it best saying, “I don’t really care what’s happening in your life, man, I just need my pizza.” He just needed some pizza, man!

andy
andy
9 years ago

chill, man

Anthony
Anthony
9 years ago

Have to slide with Pags here

Alyssa Kamarainen
Alyssa Kamarainen
9 years ago

Although we could all have lots to say about the rude comment made by the man, if you have worked in customer service its part of the job. Customers say rude things all the time pertaining to race, gender, and orientation. We cannot as business owners turn away customers just because we dont like them.. Because essentially that is what she was asking Pagliacci’s to do. This is not discrimination what so ever. This is a simple termination of an employee over the slander of their company. Pick a better battle because it seems thats all you wanted was conflict.

jc
jc
9 years ago

There’s rudeness and there’s abuse, the latter of which no employee should have to accept. An employer does not have to allow bigots on the premises, and will probably drive other customers away if he or she does.

jonas
jonas
9 years ago

sorry, even if the customer was malicious, there’s no law saying that your employer has to force customers to believe in your internal sense of I-dentity. plus, the statement about “if this had been about race or sexual orientation…” just goes to show an immense amount of white male privilege…racist/homophobic/sexist remarks are par for the course in retail or customer-oriented jobs and to imply otherwise demonstrates a lack of understanding about what other minorities go through.

all people deserve to be free from employment discrimination; but let’s not pretend that pag’s was discriminating. a customer POSSIBLY, not even confirmed that it was malicious or intentional, didn’t agree to use language that would override observable reality (biology) with self-defining identity. that’s not dirt on pag’s hands.

cora cora cora
cora cora cora
9 years ago
Reply to  jonas

“there’s no law saying that your employer has to force customers to believe in your internal sense of I-dentity.”

Yeah, actually, there is, because it’s the duty of the employer to protect an employee from harassment. I don’t really give a crap if someone calls me “man” at work, but then again I’m privileged in that whole, you know, not being trans thing. Harassment on the basis of gender identity is something an employer should be protecting its employees from. When I get some knuckle-dragging racist who doesn’t want my Latina self serving them food, and it happens more than many people would like to admit, I make someone else deal with that customer. I haven’t been fired yet, and I haven’t been fired in any job I’ve worked at dealing with customers…and I’ve worked in places as diverse as a cheesesteak place in Philly to a fine dining restaurant here in Seattle.

Then again the fact that you’re condescendingly calling her gender an “I-dentity” probably should have been a warning. You wouldn’t call mine that, why is hers any different?

“plus, the statement about “if this had been about race or sexual orientation…” just goes to show an immense amount of white male privilege…”

…so now you’re punching down on a trans woman after that “I-dentity” swipe by implying she’s a “white male”. Well, she’s white, you figured that out, but yet another transmisogynist statement kind of colors my willingness to see you as neutral here.

Gender identity is no different under law in WA than sexual orientation or race. Was it the wisest statement? Probably not, comparing gender to race is always a slippery slope…but it doesn’t make the underlying point any different. Plus, think about it, you just got fired from your job, you’re not always going to make the clearest statements in the heat of emotion.

It’s things like this, the need to push aside trans women and push them metaphorically out of the way and deny the concerns of trans people that explain why they’re increasingly fed up with how we cis folks treat them. The sneering dismissiveness of what someone is based on ‘birth sex’ not matching how they present, something you’d never do to me because I’m cis…it cements the discontent more and more when it happens. You wouldn’t imply things about my gender even though nothing about me (flannel, jeans, hoodies, tuxedos…) corresponds with social messaging about how women are “supposed” to look and act, but it’s okay to shove aside someone’s gender based on it not matching their “birth sex”?

I guess by that token, when I renew my license, I should tell the DOL I’m 7 pounds 8 ounces because that’s what my birth certificate says. It’s equally ludicrous to disregard, much less mock, someone’s gender based on that.

All that said…I do hope Mr. Galvin, who has in my experience always been a pretty stand-up guy (full disclosure: I’m a former Pagliacci employee who left of her own volition after 2 wonderful years to follow a woman to the East Coast) sets things right here. The fact that he’s reaching out is a very good start.

Jim98122x
Jim98122x
9 years ago
Reply to  cora cora cora

Cora, Cora, Cora.
Cora.
Don’t you see the irony in what you’ve typed?
“It is the duty of an employer to protect an employee from harassment”
Exactly what Pagliaci did when the boss told Dylan she didn’t have to wait on him.
“When I get some knuckle-dragging racist who doesn’t want my Latina self serving him food….I make someone else deal with that customer”.
Yes, exactly. Just like Pacgliacci offered. Or does Dylan deserve more special handling because she’s trans?

Dylan needs to toughen up. Nobody said being trans is easy or that people won’t often treat you rudely. This is a pretty weak excuse for victimhood. If Dylan can’t handle this minor slight, life will be very, very hard indeed. Time to “butch it up”, if you’ll pardon the expression. There’s a lot worse coming.

Michee
Michee
9 years ago
Reply to  cora cora cora

There’s no “need” to “push aside” anything, it’s an instinct to disregard stupidity, you stupid bitch.

Michee
Michee
9 years ago
Reply to  Michee

Actually I’m sorry I called you a cuss word I just read my comment.
You are being foolish but I shouldn’t have insulted you I didn’t notice til I read it.

jonas
jonas
9 years ago
Reply to  cora cora cora

Actually, I would totally call out your I-dentity in the same way because what so-called progressives and feminists have become is a transparent individualist application of libertarian choice politics with not real class analysis and lifestylism doesn’t actually help people in any meaningful way. There are classes that we belong to whether or not we “identify” with them.

Plus, it’s not transmisogynist to call a trans woman male. That is her biological sex. Sex =/= “gender identity”. And to be honest, we need to be able to talk about sex as a reality. People, yes even trans women, who are male and treated as such for a significant portion of time like their whole childhood, have male privilege. I never used to care about this stuff, I thought “live and let live” until I heard from my lesbian friends here that they are getting called “bigots” for not accepting trans lesbians and their so-called “female penis”. Sorry, but trans politics is inherently in conflict with the gay liberation movement.

And as for your comment about birth weight.. no of course you wouldn’t list that on your ID. But if someone says they are a woman but can still produce sperm, guess what, that has REAL consequences, and it’s not wrong to point out that reality.

Greg
Greg
9 years ago
Reply to  cora cora cora

That is a lot of supposing on your part. The fact of the matter is that the person accused of making the comment, by Dylan’s own admission, simply used the word “man” in the colloquial use, which absolutely doesn’t rise to the level of harassment or discrimination. It is simply an expression and Dylan was trying to make an issue of it and being overly literal; not an uncommon reaction for someone with an axe to grind.

Jim98122x
Jim98122x
9 years ago

This reminds me of a recent controversy on Ru Paul’s drag race about using the word “trannie” and “she-mail” (regarding email, but as a pun on “she-male”). Check out out what Ru Paul had to say about a not-too-similar but nonetheless relevant situation. Listen up, Dylan: Ru Paul would give you the same advice–he NAILED it: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/22/rupaul-responds-tranny_n_5374897.html

Julian
Julian
9 years ago
Reply to  Jim98122x

How is an affluent cis man defending & flippantly dismissing a slur against a population that is murdered, raped and impoverished at a much higher rate than any other minority group relevant to this conversation? Other than trans women not ever deserving a voice about their own struggles, my guess is “nothing.”

Jim98122x
Jim98122x
9 years ago
Reply to  Julian

“Reading is FUNdamental”.
I said the situation was not-too-similar. But the advice Ru gave is spot-on just as relevant, and the same. There are REAL issues that face trans people that really matter. Serious ones. Blowing up every slight into a major issue doesn’t help. If this situation rises to a level of a major incident in Dylan’s mind, I fear far worse for her.

Wow
Wow
9 years ago

These comments make me ashamed of my neighborhood. Clearly Capitol Hill is a gay neighborhood and not a queer one.

RainWorshipper
RainWorshipper
9 years ago
Reply to  Wow

The neighborhood is barely even gay-friendly anymore, let alone queer-friendly. I also find these comments distressing. I think every person (even in customer service) has a right to be treated respectfully at work.

Adam
Adam
9 years ago
Reply to  RainWorshipper

My takeaway from the comments is that Capitol Hill is a neighborhood that can see a non-issue for what it is.

Greg
Greg
9 years ago
Reply to  Adam

Thanks you, Adam, you hit it right on the nose. The thing I am ashamed of is that we completely ignore the facts of the situation in a knew jerk fashion because it is one of our own who claims to be the victim. Groupthink, my party right or wrong, fascistic thinking all the way. Instead, each case should be decided on it’s merits, not who the players are. I thought that is what we were fighting for all those years. Silly me.

Michael
Michael
9 years ago

Sorry Dylan you are at fault in this and have nobody to blame but yourself. I myself am in customer service and everyday I am disrespected by customers. Sure I don’t like it, but if I want to keep my job I got to ignore it. You must be very young and inexperienced in the work place. This incident will follow you the rest of your life. You will have a very difficult time finding another job. First off, apologize to Pags, it is your fault…..

Max
Max
9 years ago

(and everyone who rejected Eli’s comment): I think it’s appropriate to encourage Dylan to contact the Seattle Office of Civil Rights. Based on this article, Pagliacci’s has expressed an interest in reaching out to Dylan. The Seattle OCR can mediate.

At minimum, it would be good for Dylan to be well-informed about rights related to gender identity and expression for the future, as well as Pagliacci’s (training is a good idea as mentioned). In general, it’s possible someone who hasn’t always been treated with respect (potentially both in and out of the workplace, and that includes from customers), may not have the greatest faith or experience in reaching out for help. At least Dylan is speaking out, not just internalizing the perceived offense and feeling it’s deserved. It’s very difficult to navigate the workforce as a minority. It’s already challenging to navigating the workplace in general. Laws can give recourse if discrimination can be proven but don’t stop discrimination from occurring, especially if it’s institutionalized, and relates to interaction with the public.

Civil Rights are not about someone having the right to do a bad job and be rewarded. They are human rights, including to be able to be treated equally while performing work. Hopefully this particularly issue can be sorted out outside of this public forum by the actual parties involved. The fact that Dylan may not be some perfect role model of discrimination based on gender expression or identity doesn’t change the fact that the Seattle OCR is there to help, discrimination exists, people need support, and businesses need training (such as knowing how to direct employees to deal with customers who make offensive comments). Without that guidance in advance, someone may fall back on survival instincts and those aren’t always workplace appropriate. Without having a voice with management, someone may fall back on talking to coworkers instead of management, as silence won’t cut it.

Last point: how many openly transgender people are in your workplace? And transgender is a blanket term for someone whose gender identity does not match the gender identity assigned at birth based on biological sex. And that’s a hell of a lot of people. What are you doing to create a welcoming, safe environment for transgender coworkers?

CapitOl Hill Monster
CapitOl Hill Monster
9 years ago
Reply to  Max

BULLSHIT! It’s NOT the City’s job to play mediator between some snot-nosed girl who PICKED A FIGHT with a member of the general public and is now mad because it didn’t go her way.

An Employer is NOT required under the law to protect an employee from an incident with the general public, only with her coworkers.

You people who think it’s somebody else’s mess to clean up because Dylan had an agenda that day are pathetic.

YES, it’s appropriate to support Dylan as she settles into the life she picked for herself, but that does NOT mean you should handle everything FOR her. There’s such a thing as personal responsibility.

Dylan started this and needs to be an adult and accept the fact that she is solely responsible for what happened. Not Pag’s, not the City, and not anybody in the general public.

Max
Max
9 years ago

Wow, can you please be my boss?! It would be a joy. By the way, it’s not your job to define the role of the Seattle Office of Civil Rights. You can stay in charge of things in your immediate purview, like going with the abbreviation Pag’s. Though I do question your abbreviation choices and lifestyle.

Michee
Michee
9 years ago
Reply to  Max

If you pay for something maybe you should be allowed to question it.

How bout this- just leave the law out of it and handle shit yourself- you fucking sissies.

Greg
Greg
9 years ago
Reply to  Max

Max, it is also not up to YOU to redefine the role of the any governmental Office of Civil Rights. The OCR, just like the state HRC and the EEOC is charged with a responsibility to look for illegal discrimination and pursue remedies. They are also charged with educating the public on what discrimination is, how to combat it and what to do about it as a matter of public education. The OCR is and should not be used to grind some axe and intercede in matters where a law wasn’t violated. By the way, the very vast majority of cases that come to these three bodies are not substantiated. In short, the OCR is not a counseling service and such claims make it difficult to address the real issues. Even the story told by Dylan, if you accept Dylan’s version, does not constitute discrimination. Pagliacci’s provided a remedy. It does not matter that Dylan didn’t like the remedy, it only matters that it was a reasonable accommodation. The burden on the employer was met.

Youth wants to know
Youth wants to know
9 years ago
Reply to  Max

“…transgender is a blanket term for someone whose gender identity does not match the gender identity assigned at birth based on biological sex.”

Interesting concept. Perhaps you could define the term “gender identity,” because it’s not clear to me. A person is born with XX or XY chromosomes, which determine their biological sex. How is “gender” different from “sex”?

Jim98122x
Jim98122x
9 years ago

Usually “gender” means identity. “sex” is strictly speaking biology. If Dylan was born male but identifies as a woman, Dylan’s sex would be biologically male but gender(identity) would be woman.

Youth etc.
Youth etc.
9 years ago
Reply to  Jim98122x

Thanks for the quick and clear response. When you use the phrase, “identifies as a woman,” do you mean “prefers to behave in ways that conform to the cultural stereotype of female behavior”?

Jim98122x
Jim98122x
9 years ago
Reply to  Youth etc.

“identifies as” could mean behavior, speech, dress, mannerisms, attitude, opinions etc. Could be all those things. Not only what you present to the world, but how you think of yourself. I guess you could say “everything else but” biology. I am not an expert on this but I think that basically sums it up unless someone wants to add to or clarify that.

Max
Max
9 years ago
Reply to  Youth etc.

Great questions. Here are answers from one source: http://www.glaad.org/transgender/trans101 (and you can find plenty of other resources online). Gay City Health Project has a lending library and I’m sure there would be a lot of books about gender-related topics. They could also point you in the direction of other local in-person resources for information.

Gender is incredibly complex of course so it’s best to get information from a wide range of reputable sources. Transgender is an umbrella term for this reason. Many people have stereotypes and negative ideas about transgender people so it’s really important to educate oneself and keep an open mind.

I think there’s an assumption in a liberal-seeming neighborhood that everyone is totally in-the-know about these topics. It’s just not true. This is a societal tipping point around transgender visibility, but education will be an ongoing activity. We can all participate by educating ourselves. And consider that there are transgender people of every race, age, religion, sexual orientation, class and every other aspect you can think of. And people are impacted by multiple oppressions and issues. So true justice will be drawing those connections among us all.

jonas
jonas
9 years ago
Reply to  Youth etc.

If you want a different perspective, pick up Gender Hurts by Shelia Jefferys. It’s hard to read because she doesn’t use PC trans inclusive language, but there are some really interesting and valuable critiques of gender theory. And YES, gender is”cultural stereotypes of female [and male] behavior”. Seriously keep digging and you will find no one can provide a non-circular definition of “gender identity” that doesn’t rely on sex role stereotypes!

Youth etc.
Youth etc.
9 years ago
Reply to  Jim98122x

Thanks, Max. As you noted, transgender visibility is increasing, and I’m trying to decide if transgender theory, at least as I understand it, is progressive or not. I realize my understanding may be incomplete or flat out wrong, and if so, I’m open to becoming better informed.

In particular, I am concerned about the role played by sexual stereotypes in transgender theory. Recent research suggests that human sexuality is far more complicated than allowed by the traditional labels of male, female, heterosexual, and homosexual. The two biological sexes each display a spectrum of sexual behaviors. The old labels are simply inadequate to capture the richness of human sexuality.

Against this new understanding of the subtlety and variety of human sexuality, transgender theory seems to represent a step backward. It appears to validate and reify the traditional labels and perhaps more importantly, it validates labeling people per se.

Progressives have spent decades encouraging people of both sexes to liberate themselves from the burden and limitations of traditional sexual stereotypes. Yet according to transgender theory, a transgender women is a male who “identifies as a woman.” But in so doing, doesn’t this lend credence to the cultural stereotype of female behavior? And similarly, the concept of the transgender man reifies the cultural stereotype of male behavior.

As an alternative, can we dispense with sexual/gender labels altogether? Dylan, for example, rather than being a transgender woman, is simply Dylan-gendered. He identifies as a Dylan. His personal experience exemplifies one slice of the spectrum of behavior shown by those humans with XY sexual chromosomes. “He” and “she” would come to signify nothing more than biological sexuality, with no behavioral connotations.

What is the argument for adding intricate layers of new labels onto the old labels that oppressed both men and women, and never really captured the human sexual experience in the first place?

Anonymous
Anonymous
9 years ago

I’m a huge supporter of the trans community and I identify as a queer man myself. I have read Dylan’s account these events, Matt Galvin’s statements, and general feedback from the community. My takeaway here is that she was not fired for her trans status or advocacy, but for the fact that she was openly slandering the company she worked for in earshot of coworkers and customers. That is bad form regardless of the situation. It’s certainly not an employee’s “right” as some seem to believe. There is a time and place for those conversations and it’s not while you’re clocked in. Whether you’re badmouthing poorly received produce, a lousy manager, or even a customer who (unintentionally?) confused your gender pronouns, if you do it on the job you can’t expect you’ll be working there much longer – and nor should you want to!

Was she already unhappy at Pagliacci? Did it excite her to stir things up? Maybe. It no doubt hurt her when the customer used male pronouns to address her. That is hard. Unfortunately, you can’t expect everyone to be educated on trans issues. Rather than confronting this person it would have been better for her to either let it roll, or use the opportunity to bring awareness to someone who simply might not know any better. Hindsight. I believe Pag’s did what they could to support this young woman, and it just wasn’t enough for her. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. I would not encourage a boycott or a lawsuit or any perpetuation of hate aimed in any direction. My hope is that everyone involved can move forward without any real consequences.

Ellie
Ellie
9 years ago

So I guess that means the next time a customer makes a rude comment or laughs I’ll have to make a martyr out of myself and publicly slaughter a business which could result in hardworking people losing their jobs. Dylan could have risen above and turned this into a moment to educate people instead of trying to find some $$$ by turning it into a transgender issue instead of what it really is – being oversensitive and going too far. Anyone in the customer service industry has dealt with situations far worse than this, but still manages to smile and serve the customer. “Catch more flies with honey than vinegar”, ring a bell? I’ve seen this story spin out of control since she posted it on Facebook, and the details keep changing. Of course creating a hostile work environment and speaking badly about the company you work for is going to get you fired. Don’t bite the hand that feeds, DUH.

I feel sorry for the business. Seattle is so accepting of all lifestyles such a great place to be yourself. Obviously, the people of Seattle would be shocked and disgusted over discriminating, and now people are too blinded by anger to realize what is really going on. I think it is shameful to turn this into a transgender issue when it is clearly not, and all those that have sided with Dylan are only reading the headline instead of the facts. I am a huge advocate for equality, but I don’t see the issue here. Just someone looking for their 15 minutes.

Max
Max
9 years ago
Reply to  Ellie

I’m not siding with Dylan. I’m siding with the idea of Dylan contacting the Seattle Office of Civil Rights and assessing the situation with a professional. And I’m siding with Pagliacci’s taking this opportunity to have training around these issues. As for someone wanting their 15 minutes, being transgender (and experiencing the many challenges that can and do arise in relation to that, whether at work or not), is 24/7. Is blogging about one’s negative experience wanting 15 minutes? Is wanting to draw attention to a perceived issue when it’s not clear what other voice one has wanting 15 minutes? No, auditioning for American Idol is.

Now, I suggest you apply for your next job at Pagliacci’s while in gender non-conforming (yet still business appropriate) clothing. You’ll be thankful they went through diversity training.

Have I singled you out to make a point? Yes I have. Yet of course I don’t know you. And neither do you know Dylan. Done.

Sparks
Sparks
9 years ago

You people aren’t bright are you? By allowing that customer to be abusive to a transgender employee, the manager chose to discriminate. You know he wouldn’t have allowed racist or religious slurs. Even the OWNER said the customer should have been thrown out.

calhoun
9 years ago
Reply to  Sparks

But the use of the word “man” is not necessarily disrespectful or abusive, and hardly equivalent to racist or religious slurs. It’s just a word that young people use all the time, in almost every sentence so it seems.

Del
Del
9 years ago
Reply to  Sparks

Except that by Dylan’s own description, the person was not abusive. By her own description of the scenario, it sounds like Dylan corrected him, he was baffled to laughed. Then Dylan confronted him when next he walked in the door and, again, he tried to avoid the confrontation by saying “I just need my pizza, man.”