Outward

KFC and Lyft Show How Companies Should Handle Trans Discrimination

Good job, Colonel!

Jean-Francois Monier/AFP/Getty Images

Employment horror stories are tragically common for transgender people—just look at the transgender unemployment rate. So with so many companies and businesses doing it wrong, it’s reassuring to notice when some companies get things right.

Last week, a woman named Georgia Carter reported she was interviewed, hired, and then almost immediately fired by a KFC franchise location in Richmond, Virginia. The problem arose when her new manager noticed that her photo ID carried a “male” sex designation as he was filing onboarding paperwork. She says he then told her “We can’t hire you because we don’t know which bathroom you can use.”

It is indeed still legal to fire someone just for being transgender in 32 states, one of which is Virginia, and changing legal sex designation in that state requires a certified court order and proof of sex-reassignment surgery. That places gender-appropriate ID well out-of-reach for most trans people.

Fortunately, KFC Corporate demonstrated on Tuesday morning that the Colonel’s secret recipe apparently includes powerful anti-discrimination policies that are a great deal more enlightened than the state’s lawmakers. In a Twitter reply to an inquiry by freelance reporter Prescotte Stokes III, KFC made their position on the manager’s shenanigans clear and took swift action to rectify Carter’s situation. “We do not tolerate discrimination. The franchisee terminated this manager (and) Ms Carter was offered a job at any Richmond KFC.”

Our other shining example of excellence in corporate handling of discrimination comes from ridesharing company Lyft.

After being dropped off by her Lyft ride last Friday night in Phoenix, Arizona, Monica Jones was shocked to learn from a friend that her driver had made a post about her on Facebook that was both vulgar and potentially threatening. “Word of caution to the hetero males among you,” wrote Paul Fiarkoski in the now-deleted posting, “I just dropped off a ‘lady’ of the evening named MONica at Cruisin’ 7th tavern. Notice the deliberate emphasis on mon. #gendermatters.” Jones felt compelled to leave the pub immediately; by revealing her name and location, Fiarkoski had put her in danger.

Jones received an initially disappointing and seemingly canned response from Lyft’s first-line customer service team on Saturday morning, offering an apology and a $15 dollar credit. This left her and her social media followers to wonder what would become of transphobic Phoenix driver Paul Fiorkoski. Lyft sorted it out the next day. “His access to Lyft has been permanently removed,” said company spokeswoman Alexandra LaManna in a statement provided to Slate on Sunday. “Lyft does not tolerate any form of discrimination and is committed to maintaining an inclusive and welcoming community. The driver’s behavior is unacceptable and a clear violation of our anti-discrimination policy.”

Lyft has also announced a new partnership with SAVE, a Florida-based organization whose mandate is to help protect LGBT people from discrimination.

It’s clear that no corporation will ever be able to exercise complete control over every employee’s behavior at all times, but thanks to social media, individual employee goofs motivated by hate or discrimination can now turn into a PR nightmare overnight. In the social world, companies know that how they choose to react to the public social conscience will dictate customer response, not only for marginalized groups like trans people, but their legion of allies, too. So, when you see stories emerging about individuals suffering discrimination in employment or customer service, share it around and boost the signal—because that’s how these changes are made.