Foot Locker Stores Accused Of Gay Discrimination
I read this disturbing story about a gay man who was harassed and finally fired from his job at The Foot Locker. I have shopped at the Foot Locker and have purchased shoes there in the past. But no more.
In case you should want to let them know how you feel, here's the corporate address.
Director of Corporate Staffing
Foot Locker, Inc.
112 West 34th Street
New York, NY 10120
(212)720-3700
Foot Locker, you are on my official boycott list! :)
(Columbia, South Carolina) A lawsuit was filed Tuesday accusing Foot Locker, Inc. of harassing and then firing a gay employee.
The suit alleges that Kevin Dunbar (pictured left), 26, suffered antigay harassment and discrimination at the hands of his coworkers, supervisors and customers.
Dunbar claims that when Dunbar formally complained that he was being harassed the discrimination grew worse. His suit says that he was transferred from one store location in Columbia to another, where his new store manager refused to shake his hand and said, "I heard about your shit, I don't want your faggot ass in my store."
"Once I became a target, every morning when I woke up and I was scheduled for work, I knew that my supervisors and coworkers would verbally insult and degrade me, probably in front of customers," Dunbar said Tuesday. "At best, they'd talk behind my back and make my every task twice as difficult -- just because I'm gay." [...]
In conjunction with the lawsuit, Lambda Legal launched what it calls a "Blow the Whistle on Foot Locker" campaign today, designed to activate people nationwide beginning with a series of town hall meetings set to kick off in Columbia after Labor Day. An aggressive post-card campaign also launched today will encourage thousands of people nationwide to complain to the company. (source)
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Olivia,
You are right, you don't know what you are talking about.
You criticize "blow thee whissle" (I assume you mean "whistle")... I can't tell you how many people have told me that they no longer go to The Foot Locker. All I'm doing is trying to tell people that they are putting their money into a company who treats people in this fashion.
What was Foot Locker's attitude in this matter? At first, NOTHING. It was only media attention that made them change - at least in Mr. Dunbar's case. I understand that he settled out of court with them, and, he was never offered his job back! And I personally hope that he collected BIG.
As far as liking to use the phrase, "It's because I'm gay", etc., Mr. Dunbar did not come up with that. His co-workers, some of whom were managers, repeatedly called him a "faggot" and other gay-related derrogatory terms. They were never generally used derrogatory terms such as "bastard" and the like, they were specifically geared towards gay men. What does that tell you?
I think they made their feelings very clear. They are the people who made this a "gay" thing.
You need to be more informed, and not such a moron.
It is sad to see that there are immature individuals that will harass anybody...but what is the biggest bull is,that you would create a "blow the whissle on Foot Locker campain!"
I have to say ,that if Kevin Dunbar used the right tools provided to him,by his employer,such as the 1800 fair for you number(wich is not a Foot Locker Inc. Company), this manager and his staff would have gotten fired...unless the aledgations where not found to be true. Of course Foot Locker will settle...they don't want that kind of poblicity. So, this blow the whissle on Foot Locker is stupid...let me explain:"THERE IS A STUPID IMMATURE IDIOT IN EVERY WORKPLACE.bLOW THE WHISSLE ON THE ARMY,WHO HAVE PROVEN TO HARRAS WOMEN,UPS,FBI,AND THE LIST GOES ON AND ON.
I have no idea why this guy was treated the way he was treated.
All I know is, that I have worked and am still working with gays lesbians, etc. and there are some that just like to use the frase: " It's because I am "Gay" or "a Lesbian" or " black" or "white". That some of my gay /lesbian friends want nothing to do with them either.
It is so nice to live in a country where they cannot use that excuse to fire you.