"I think at the core of this case is whether or not an employer can discriminate against an employee," said Amy Whelan, a senior staff attorney for the NCLR who is helping represent Broussard. In May, lawyers representing Tower Loans requested that the case be moved to a court in Mississippi that request is pending. On April 13, 2015, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the Southern Poverty Law Center, Altshuler Berzon LLP, and Delaney & Robb filed suit against Tower Loan for discrimination on behalf of Broussard. When the Jackson Free Press reached out to Leah Sparks, she declined to comment. He says Sparks told him that she didn't know he was going to be fired-that she thought he was a good employee. That day, Tower Loan terminated Broussard.īroussard says that Sparks contacted him to apologize later that day. He explained that he couldn't agree to such a statement because he is male. I have been advised as to the proper dress for females and also have been provided a copy of the female dress code."īroussard refused. With this dictum, he required Broussard to sign a statement: "I understand that my preference to act and dress as male, despite having been born a female, is not something that will be in compliance with Tower Loan's personnel policies. Morgan called the meeting because Broussard was not following the rules governing how female employees must dress.īroussard did his best to explain that he lives and identifies as a male, but Morgan wouldn't budge, demanding that Broussard dress as a female in the office. In the week he had been working, he had not received any complaints about his manner of dress or compliance with the dress code, he says.
When Broussard entered the room, Morgan handed him a copy of the company's dress code. When Morgan arrived, he asked for Broussard and Sparks to meet him in the back conference room. Broussard assumed he was conducting a routine assessment of office operations. On March 11, 2013, a Monday, David Morgan, vice president of Tower Loan, visited the Lake Charles branch. Upon learning about the sex listed on Broussard's driver's license, Sparks notified Tower Loans corporate headquarters in Flowood. By the time he had applied for the job at Tower Loans, he had lived as a man, consistent with his male identity for a year and a half. Tristan Broussard has known he was a male as long as he can remember. Broussard explained that he is a transgender man. When Sparks noticed that Broussard's driver's license listed his sex as female, she asked Broussard about it, he claims now. Broussard handed over his driver's license. And like most jobs, he had to provide a valid form of identification. He had to read employee handbooks and sign contracts and W-2s. Like most first days, he spent a good portion of his day filling out paperwork for Sparks.
On March 4, 2013, Broussard had his first day on the job. In an interview, Broussard says he remembers Leah Sparks, the branch's manager, being particularly impressed with his qualifications and disposition. In early February 2013, Tristan Broussard, 21, applied to work at the Lake Charles, La., branch of Tower Loan, a private finance company based in Flowood, Miss., with more than 180 branches in the United States. District Judge Henry Wingate ordered the case of transgender man Tristan Broussard, who sued his former employer, Tower Loan, back to Louisiana.