Pentecostal Woman Sues Burger King After Being Fired for Wearing Skirt
A Christian Pentecostal has filed a religious discrimination lawsuit against a Texas Burger King after it fired her for wearing a skirt.
Ashanti McShan says she adheres to an interpretation of the Bible "about the wearing of clothing that is befitting of specific gender," according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission which filed the suit Wednesday on her behalf.
The fast-food company was aware of McShan's belief as she had informed them during her job interview, EEOC claims. Though she was told that she would be allowed to wear a skirt on the job, she was later sent home when she arrived at orientation with a skirt. She was not asked to return, according to EEOC.
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"Accommodating Ms. McShan's religious beliefs would have been simple and cost the company nothing," said EEOC Trial Attorney Meaghan Shepard in a statement. "Management's failure to comply with federal law deprived this teenage girl of the opportunity to work during her senior year of high school."
EEOC argues that Fries Restaurant Management, LLC, which operates the Grand Prairie, Texas, Burger King, violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 – prohibiting religious discrimination in the workplace.
"We haven't come far enough in our respect of religious liberties at the workplace if we have employers saying that uniform policies trump a religious observance without articulation of any hardship posed by letting an employee 'hold the pickles' and 'hold the lettuce' while wearing a skirt," said Regional Attorney Robert A. Canino of the EEOC's Dallas District Office.
