Transgender Teen Claims McDonald's Denied her a Job

One of the slogans at fast food giant McDonald's is “we love to see you smile.” That may need some rethinking if recent accusations by an Orlando teen are proven true.

According to the Huffington Post, a transgender teen claims that she was denied a job at McDonald's and told "we do not hire faggots." Seventeen-year-old Zikerria Bellamy has filed a lawsuit with the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF) through the Florida Commission on Human Relations.

Bellamy says she applied online for a position as a shift manager at an Orlando McDonald's. When she went in for the interview on July 28, Bellamy says a manager insisted she check a box indicating her gender. When she checked male, he became upset.

"Once I looked at his facial expression, when I checked off male, like the whole face just changed," Bellamy said. "He was upset. I seen the anger, you know, like you can tell when someone gets upset."

After being denied a position, Bellamy says she received an offensive voicemail from the store manager. The voice on the message said, "It doesn't matter how many times you go down there. You will not get hired. We do not hire faggots.”

The TLDEF took Bellamy’s case because reports show that 47% of transgender people report being fired, or denied jobs and promotions because of their lifestyle.

"I just wanted to earn some money and was willing to work hard at this job," " Bellamy said. "In the current economy, jobs are really hard to find. I never expected to be judged on who I am, instead of being judged on whether I can do the job."