A female is suing her former employer after she was fired, allegedly for two period leaks that occurred as she was going through pre-menopause.
Alisha Coleman, from Georgia, worked as a 911 call taker for the Bobby Dodd Institute (a job-training organisation for those with disabilities) for nearly a decade before being fired last year.
“I loved my job at the 911 call center because I got to help people,” she said.
In a report from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the document claims Alisha was dismissed for experiencing a “sudden onset, heavy menstrual flow” on two occasions.
The leaking – which she obviously could not predict or control – was a symptom of premenopause.
Pictured are Alisha Coleman and her daughter Kristi Wilborn, her son Jerimiah and her granddaughter Iyuana
“Every woman dreads getting period symptoms when they’re not expecting them, but I never thought I could be fired for it. Getting fired for an accidental period leak was humiliating. I don’t want any woman to have to go through what I did, so I’m fighting back.”
The ACLU has since filed a brief arguing that Alisha was subjected to unlawful workplace discrimination.
“Firing a woman for getting her period at work is offensive and an insult to every woman in the workplace,” said Andrea Young, executive director of ACLU of Georgia.
“A heavy period is something nearly all women will experience, especially as they approach menopause, and Alisha was shamed, demeaned and fired for it. That’s wrong and illegal under federal law. We’re fighting back.”
While details of a court date have not yet been set, senior staff attorney Galen Sherwin at the Women’s Rights Project of the ACLU agrees that Alisha has a strong case.
“Federal law is supposed to protect women from being punished, harassed or fired because of their sex, and being fired for unexpectedly getting your period at work is the very essence of sex discrimination.”
“This kind of blatant discrimination against women in the workplace is why the ACLU Women’s Rights Project was founded 45 years ago, and why the fight for gender equality must continue.”
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
