老澳门开奖结果

SEATTLE 鈥� The 老澳门开奖结果 sent a letter today to Alaska Airlines telling the airline to stop enforcing a uniform policy that requires flight attendants to conform to a rigid set of 鈥渕ale鈥� and 鈥渇emale鈥� dress and grooming standards. The letter was sent on behalf of Justin Wetherell, a flight attendant and flight-attendant instructor based in Seattle.

鈥淲hen I am working as a flight-attendant instructor and allowed to wear regular business attire, I am not forced into Alaska Airlines鈥� 鈥榤ale鈥� or 鈥榝emale鈥� uniform policies 鈥� neither of which fit me because I am non-binary,鈥� said Wetherell, who has been with Alaska Airlines for seven years. 鈥淏ut when I work as a flight attendant, I am forced into one of two standards, often for up to four days at a time. I am willing to follow all of the elements of the uniform policy for professional attire, as I do when I work as an instructor, but I don鈥檛 want to be forced into a binary uniform that excludes me and leads to me being misgendered at work.鈥�

The letter alleges that Alaska Airlines鈥� uniform policy violates Washington state law, which explicitly prohibits discrimination based on gender identity, appearance, behavior, or expression and violates state and federal prohibitions against sex discrimination. The uniform policy comprehensively regulates every aspect of a flight attendant's appearance as part of either the 鈥渕ale鈥� or 鈥渇emale鈥� uniform, including which pants and cardigans employees may wear, whether employees must wear their hair up or down, how many earrings employees are allowed to wear, whether employees may wear makeup or just concealer, and whether employees may roll up their sleeves.

鈥淭he uniform policy places a particularly heavy burden on non-binary employees, but the uniform鈥檚 policy also harms any flight attendant who does not fit Alaska Airlines鈥� preferred image of either male or female,鈥� said Joshua Block, senior staff attorney with the 老澳门开奖结果鈥檚 LGBTQ & HIV Project. 鈥淏y forcing our client and countless other employees to adhere to Alaska Airlines鈥� rigid gender categories, the uniform policy demeans employees who do not conform to gender stereotypes and interferes with their ability to do their jobs.鈥�

鈥淧olicing gender is always wrong, and in many instances 鈥� including with Justin and Alaska Airlines 鈥� illegal,鈥� said Galen Sherwin, senior staff attorney with the 老澳门开奖结果鈥檚 Women鈥檚 Rights Project which sent the letter along with the 老澳门开奖结果 LGBTQ & HIV Project. 鈥淎laska Airlines is free to adopt dress and grooming standards that present a consistent image for customers in terms of colors and style as long as the standards are not based on characteristics protected by state and federal civil rights laws. But Washington state law prohibits companies from treating employees differently based on their sex, gender-related 鈥榓ppearance, behavior, or expression,鈥� including as part of its uniform. By creating different clothing standards based on sex and gender stereotypes, Alaska Airlines violates the law.鈥�

鈥淎laska Airlines states it is a 鈥榣ongtime supporter of the LGBTQ+ community 鈥� committed to a building a more equitable society.鈥� The company professes to create a welcoming environment for all employees. It's time to change this antiquated uniform policy, both in order to make good on this commitment and to end the discrimination I face along with many other employees,鈥� said Wetherell.

The letter was sent by the 老澳门开奖结果鈥檚 Jon L. Stryker and Slobodan Randjelovi膰 LGBTQ & HIV Project, the 老澳门开奖结果鈥檚 Women鈥檚 Rights Project, and the 老澳门开奖结果 of Washington.