- Erin Taylor was training as a director of operations at a franchise Chick-fil-A in Decatur, Georgia.
- She claimed in a suit she was fired three months after speaking up about colleagues harassing her.
Erin Taylor hoped to climb the corporate ladder through what seemed like a promising job at a franchise Chick-fil-A in Decatur, Gerogia, as director of operations, after working several positions in food service.
Instead, Taylor, who is also a transgender woman, was quickly met with sexual harassment, told by upper management that it "should be an honor" to get the remarks, and was abruptly fired three months on the job, according to a wrongful termination and discrimination lawsuit filed against the franchise, which is not owned by Chik-fil-A Inc., on June 29.
Attorneys for the owner of the franchise, Joe Engert, who operates the restaurant under IJE Hospitality LLC, have denied the allegations and said they would defend against the claims in court.
In an interview with Insider, Taylor said she has since experienced homelessness — couch-surfing with friends or sleeping in her car — and has been unable to pay for gender-affirming care as she searches for her next job.
"I didn't have the bare minimum anymore to provide and to care for myself," she said. "For my hormone journey, I have to get bloodwork every three months and that's thousands of dollars in one visit."
She opened up about her experience at the fast food restaurant; how she tried multiple times to de-escalate the situation by talking with co-workers and upper management, and how she continues to deal with the fallout of her abrupt firing.
"The thing that has stuck with me is just fear," she said. "Fear of my personal safety, fear of my co-workers retaliating, even with me sharing my story."
'An honor'
Taylor was met with harassment on the first day of the job, according to the suit, filed in the District Court for Northern Georgia under her legal name.
It began with a co-worker calling out to her from across the kitchen with about 10 employees present, asking who Taylor was and what her name is. At first, she said didn't engage.
"I just acted like I didn't care and then just kept going on," Taylor said.
Then another co-worker chimed in, this time approaching Taylor "rather aggressively," almost as if he was acting like a wingman for his friend, Taylor said. The lawsuit also details vulgar remarks allegedly said at Taylor in front of other employees and management.
Taylor emphasized to her co-worker that she wanted to keep things professional and said she was not interested.
"The response was, 'What's wrong with my friend? You think you're too good for him?'" Taylor said. "Of course, all of this is going on with cursing as well."
These exchanges from co-workers, who also worked under Taylor since she was director of operations, continued up to the point that other female staff members stepped in and told the men to leave her alone, including the younger sister of one of the employees allegedly harassing Taylor. The younger sister also works at the same Chick-fil-A.
"They said, 'Dang ya'll she said no. She said she's not interested,'" Taylor said.
Taylor soon went to her immediate supervisor to report the incident, but was instead told to reach out to Engert, the franchise owner, the suit said.
In a meeting with Engert and a kitchen director, Taylor informed them that she was transgender and about what happened with her co-workers.
Toward the end of her conversation, Taylor said that Engert made a passing remark about how it "should be an honor," as a transgender woman, "someone liked her enough to hit on her."
"I just sort of thought, I can't believe he said that to me," Taylor said.
Engert did not respond to Insider's request for comment regarding Taylor's allegations.
In a response to the lawsuit, attorneys representing IJE Hospitality objected to many of the claims Taylor made. It denies that an employee targeted Taylor on her first day of work, some of the remarks that were made towards her, and how Engert and her had a meeting about the incident.
In an emailed statement through attorneys to Insider, IJE Hospitality did not directly address specific claims Taylor made in her suit but said it would defend against them in court.
"IJE Hospitality has vigorous policies and procedures to prohibit harassment, discrimination, and retaliation and does not discriminate or harass, or tolerate discrimination or harassment, on the basis of any protected characteristic, including sex or gender identity," the email said. "IJE Hospitality is committed to creating and maintaining a workplace that is welcoming, inclusive, and values all people. IJE Hospitality will continue to defend against these claims in court."
'Like night and day'
After Engert approached the co-worker about the incident, Taylor said things took a turn for the worse at work.
"It was like night and day," she said.
The same employee Engert allegedly confronted continued to harass Taylor but with homophobic slurs and did so in front of other staff. Some purposefully misgendered their co-worker, the suit claimed. And one co-worker asked Taylor if she was "one of those," according to Taylor.
Other harassment came in the form of threats to her life. Taylor said that she reported the incident to the police, and that management said it was "a little bit excessive."
After three months on the job, Taylor was suddenly fired from her position. She told Insider that it happened on the day she set up a meeting to talk with management again about what they could do to improve conditions at work.
"He immediately started the meeting with, 'You know, I don't think this is the best fit for you,'" Taylor said. "I didn't even speak."
Attorneys for Engert did not respond to a follow-up request to go over each allegation from Taylor.
Stuck in the rebuilding phase
Months after she was fired, Taylor said she's dealt with homelessness and continues to struggle with the financial tolls, the anxiety, and depression.
"There are days where I just break out crying just because I rethink things that have been said to me," Taylor said.
Since her last job, Taylor said there were times when she had to sleep in her car or sleep at her friend's house. She also stopped keeping up with her hormone therapy and bloodwork. The cost has prevented Taylor, who began her transition three years ago, from receiving continued gender-affirming care.
Taylor worked other jobs in food service through those years. But she said she's never experienced harassment at the level she did at Chick-fil-A. Outside work, around her home in Atlanta, Georgia, Taylor said she received transphobic remarks before but never to this degree.
Her experience is far from uncommon. According to a 2021 survey of 935 LGBT identifying workers conducted by the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law Williams Institute, nearly half of respondents who identified as transgender said they experienced some form of discrimination at work, whether that meant being fired or not being hired based on their identity.
Taylor currently feels she's stuck in a "rebuilding phase" of her life, trying to regain a sense of stability. But her experience at Chick-fil-A has traumatized her.
"Is this what life is going to be like, for me, as a trans woman moving forward?" she wondered. "Is this something I'm going to always have to deal with?"
Taylor initially saw her job at Chick-fil-A as an opportunity to either own a franchise or move over to the corporate side and do consulting for the company. But, now, wherever she goes next, Taylor has one request.
"I'm not asking anyone to change their views or values," she said. "All I'm asking as a trans woman or a woman of trans experience is just that I can go and live a day-to-day life without having to fear that my life would be in jeopardy."