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A transgender woman has filed a discrimination lawsuit against an upstate New York Hooters location, claiming it repeatedly refused to employ her.
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The restaurant, however, paints a different tale, stating she was denied a job due to inappropriate behaviour that occurred before she transitioned.
In an interview with NEWS 10 ABC, Brandy Livingston claims she applied three times to work at a Hooters in Colonie, N.Y., while also claiming she was a regular customer and was harassed by restaurant staff.
“They would use male pronouns — they would refer to me as ‘he,’” Livingston claimed. “I overheard one of the servers after I left the restroom talking to one of the managers and said, ‘Why are you allowing him in the women’s restroom?’ And the manager said, ‘Oh, I don’t like it any more than you do.’”
Despite the negative treatment, Livingston said she applied to work at Hooters three times, stating she was turned down each time without a fair explanation. She claims the hiring manager didn’t care if she had suitable work experience, stating she was told they “hire on the basis of personality. And there’s an image that needs to be met.’”
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A legal representative from Hooters told NEWS 10 ABC that Livingston was asked never to return to the restaurant for bad behaviour that began before she transitioned into a woman.
The spokesperson claimed Livingston made servers uncomfortable by making marriage proposals and talking about masturbation. At one point, Livingston allegedly threatened to go to a gun range for shooting practice for the next time she stepped foot in Hooters, the spokesperson noted.
Livingston was questioned about the allegations and maintained she “never said anything about” marriage or masturbation and that the gun range comment was likely a misunderstanding.
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The woman said what she really wants is an apology that she knows she’s never going to get. So she said she’s “suing Hooters for sex-based discrimination, on the basis of accommodation and on the basis of employment.”
Livingston filed a claim with the New York State Division of Human Rights, which has found evidence that rights may have been violated, the New York Post reported.
A hearing has been set for September 2025.
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