A transgender teen who made national headlines after being refused a job interview at an Orlando McDonald’s is talking about her experience.
“I’m still looking for a job; it’s so hard, due to economy,” Zikerria Bellamy, 17, said. “My support system is my friends, family and God. My friends and family all know about [my being transgender] and they’re cool with it.”
On July 10, Bellamy applied for a shift manager position at the McDonald’s on International Drive and Sand Lake Road. She was invited to come in and fill out an application for an interview. She left the “gender” box blank but the manager asked her to complete it. When she checked “male,” Bellamy said the restaurant denied the interview and sent her away. She returned to the restaurant to try to deal with a second manager, but Bellamy said he laughed at her and then also turned her away. On July 28, she got a voicemail from the first manager telling her, “You will not get hired. We do not hire faggots.”
Bellamy was never able to interview for the job.
McDonald’s fired the manager and released a statement: “Sand Lake Road McDonald’s has a strict policy prohibiting any form of discrimination or harassment in hiring, termination, or any other aspect of employment in the organization. The restaurant requires all employees to comply with local, state and federal employment laws. The behavior of the individual in question is not reflective of the employment policies in the organization. Further, this individual acted outside the scope of his authority and was not responsible for hiring. The individual in question is no longer employed by the restaurant.”
Bellamy said she’s had several jobs but this is the first time she’s faced this type of discrimination. She said she realized she was transgender when she was six, and she wants to see McDonald’s go beyond their statement and change their policy.
Bellamy is still searching for a job while she lives with her mother in Orlando and plans to attend Valencia College in the fall to study nursing. She’s also hoping to parlay her experience into a positive by creating an organization called “Transgenders Dealing With Life Issues,” that will provide support and information.
“It’s about helping other transgender [people] out with things I went through, questions as they go by normal daily life,” Bellamy said. “Moral support is what someone [transgender] needs when they go through being what they are.”
In the meantime, attorneys with the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund have filed a complaint with the Florida Commission on Human Relations on Bellamy’s behalf.
Bellamy found the organization via an online search and they are representing her pro bono.
Executive Director Michael Silverman said that it’s up to the Commission whether Bellamy’s claim is valid, and if it is found so, only then can he file a lawsuit on her behalf.
“The Commission is charged with enforcing Florida’s civil rights law and the first point for filing any kind of legal claim for discrimination in Florida,” Silverman said. “They’re the gatekeepers to anything further like court action or any type of mediation.”
Silverman said the Commission has 180 days to make a determination.
“In the meantime, we will continue speaking out about what happened to Zikerria, because it shouldn’t happen to anyone else,” he said. “Forty-seven percent of transgender people report they are passed over for a job or promotion or fired because of who they are, not because they can’t do the job, but because they are transgender.”
He said while the manager who actually left the voice mail for Bellamy was fired, the other one involved still works there and McDonald’s policies still works with a policy that says his discrimination was okay.
“As a global company and leader, McDonald’s should be ahead of the curve, and more than 40% of Fortune 500 companies include protections for transgender workers in their employment policies,” he said. “McDonalds is Fortune 500 but does include those protections.”
Silverman said a policy that prohibits discrimination based on race, age and religion, but permits discrimination against transgender people “sends a dangerous message and makes it open season on any transgender people who do work for McDonald’s.”
He said the voice mail message may be a smoking gun against the restaurant.
“Rarely do we get the kind of evidence we have here, a recording of actual words said,” said Silverman. “In my 15 years of practicing law, this was as bad as anything I have seen.”
In the meantime, Bellamy continues to stay upbeat while trying to be a role model for other transgender people.
“Don’t let no one judge you based on who you are,” she said. “If you feel like you’re being discriminated against, speak out.”
