[tr?id=1586530151593576&ev=PageView&noscript=1] [tr?id=259124211325942&ev=PageView&noscript=1] IFRAME: https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5LKK73J Google Tag Manager ADVOCATE * Politics * Business * A&E * Transgender * Bisexuality * Religion * Families * Commentary * Out * Pride * Out Traveler * Plus * Subscribe * Subscriber Services * Email Newsletter Signup * Contact * Staff * Career Opportunities * Advertise With Us * Privacy Policy * Terms of Use * Legal Notice * © 2020 Pride Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved Happiest Season Subscribe To The Advocate Print > Digital > Give a gift • Renew (Menu) ADVOCATE ADVOCATE * Search Search form Search _______________ Search * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Tumblr * YouTube * Mail * Editor's Pick * Politics * Election * Commentary * Culture * Photography * Podcasts Scroll To Top Transgender Trans Man Sues Amazon for Pregnancy Discrimination, Harassment Amazon logo Shaun Simmons, who worked at an Amazon warehouse in New Jersey, says he was harassed by coworkers and denied a promotion. By Trudy Ring October 07 2020 3:22 PM EDT Share on Twitter Share on Facebook A man described alternately as transgender or nonbinary has sued Amazon for pregnancy discrimination and gender identity discrimination. Shaun Simmons, who worked at an Amazon warehouse in Princeton, N.J., says he was harassed and denied a promotion because he was pregnant. NBC News describes him as a trans man, while the New Jersey Law Journal calls him nonbinary. He filed the suit in September in Mercer County Circuit Court, and Monday it was moved to U.S. District Court for New Jersey. In the suit, Simmons says that after he let his supervisors know about his pregnancy in June 2019, they told other workers, who began harassing him in the restroom and elsewhere. The supervisors, Mike Menno and Tyler Houpt, started finding fault with his work in hopes that he would be demoted, the suit says. They are named as defendants in the suit, along with the company. Simmons was placed on paid leave after complaining to human resources, and when he returned to work, “he was assigned to a new position that required lifting large bags of dog food and other heavy items,” the Law Journal reports. That caused pain in his abdomen, and he asked for an accommodation, which was denied, and he was placed on unpaid leave pending the birth of the child, according to the suit. He further alleges that an offer of a promotion at a different Amazon location was withdrawn. The suit accuses Amazon of harassment based on gender identity and discrimination and harassment based on pregnancy, all violations of New Jersey law. Simmons seeks reinstatement, back pay, and compensatory and punitive damages. “Amazon has a policy and practice of discriminating against individuals because of their disability and/or pregnancy, failing to provide employees with accommodations, and retaliating against employees for requesting an accommodation, which is demonstrated by the dozens of lawsuits filed against Amazon in the past six years in the state of New Jersey alone,” the suit reads, according to NBC News. Attorney Kevin Costello, who is representing Simmons, declined to comment on specifics of the suit but told NBC, “We’re proud to be advocating in this case and we look forward to the litigation process and putting this before the jury.” Amazon also declined to comment on the suit but released a statement saying, “We have been, and continue to be, committed to accommodating all employees to perform their duties in a safe and inclusive workplace.” The company has a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, and its founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos, received the organization’s Equality Award in 2017. Tags: Transgender, Business, Law Halsey From our Sponsors READER COMMENTS () Latest News Best LGBTQ+ Films film The Best LGBTQ+ Films of 2020 December 11 2020 8:47 PM Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Scott Wiener Health California Not Tracking LGBTQ+ Pandemic Data Despite Promise December 11 2020 5:19 PM Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Tulsi Gabbard Politics Tulsi Gabbard Sponsors Anti-Trans Bill on Way Out of Congress December 11 2020 5:03 PM Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Jo Ellen Pellman and Ariana DeBose film The Prom Centers Queer Girls in Love in 'You Happened' Promposal Video December 11 2020 5:01 PM Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Why Ryan Jamal Swain of ‘Pose’ Feels More Liberated Than Ever Exclusives Pose's Ryan Jamaal Swain on Why He Feels More Liberated Than Ever December 11 2020 4:43 PM Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Michael Craft Photography 21 Images of Whipped Cream and Other Delights December 11 2020 3:04 PM Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Kimberly Susan Fial Crime Trans Volunteer Killed in Mass Stabbing at San Jose Homeless Shelter December 11 2020 2:59 PM Share on Twitter Share on Facebook 1