North Dakota Human Rights Coalition
Working to effect change so that all people in North Dakota enjoy full human rights
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North Dakota Human Rights Coalition Working to effect change so that all people in North Dakota enjoy full human rights |
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A. K. – Interviewed 6/22/04
I began working for a cell phone store in Dickinson at the end of July, 2003. One day, the owner’s son found nail and cosmetics products in my desk drawer. This was when everyone began to act as though they knew that my sexual orientation was not the same as theirs.
In October, 2003, my supervisor hired two new people. He then proceeded to tell the new female employee that I hated her and that she wouldn’t be able to work with me.
In February, 2004, I was placed in charge of the store in Dickinson by the owner.
Several months went by without my ever hearing any complaints regarding my ability to handle the position or my interactions with anyone.
On May 6, 2004, the owner and regional manager came to the store and told me that there were many complaints against me. I asked for specific details, but they could provide none, not even what the complaints were based upon. They also claimed that I was not meeting the store’s quota for sales. The store never had a quota for sales that I was required to meet. Furthermore, since I was managing the store, I was handling all of the existing customers’ needs and would not be able to meet a new account sales quota while doing so. The owner proceeded to tell me that Dickinson was too small for a “guy like [me]” and that I needed to go back to Atlanta, “a big city”, and get a college education.
I consulted with an attorney regarding the comments and was informed that there is no protection against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, and that the owner had to either hit or attempt to have sex with me in order for his actions to be illegal in this situation.
I filed a complaint with Job Service that month, but nothing came of it.
I also contacted the North Dakota Department of Labor’s Division of Human Rights, only to be turned away. Since there is no protection against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the North Dakota Human Rights Act, I was not even able to file a complaint.
I am currently in the process of investigating the complaint process for the major cell phone corporation, which the store I worked for is a franchise of. Without protection against sexual orientation discrimination in the North Dakota Human Rights Act, I doubt anything will be solved in this situation.
(This concludes the narrative provided by A. K. on Tuesday, June 22, 2004) Michael Brown, Jr.
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North Dakota Human Rights Coalition P.O. Box 1961 Fargo, North Dakota 58107-1961 Phone: (701) 239-9323 Fax: (701) 478-4452 Email: humanrights@ndhrc.org
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