Virginia Woman Claims KFC Fired Her for Being Transgender

A Virginia woman says a Richmond branch of KFC hired and subsequently fired her within the hour — upon learning she was trans.

WRIC-TV reported 27-year-old Georgia Carter says the manager who hired her called her shortly thereafter, saying he was confused by her driver's license, which listed her as a male.

Carter told KTRK a previous job offer at $7.50 an hour was rescinded. According to Carter, the manager told her "Oh, we can't hire you because we don't know which bathroom you can use."

In an interview with the station, the unnamed manager denied a formal job offer was made and said he would reconsider the decision if a change was made to Carter's license.

Virginia does not have any state laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, and the Human Rights Campaign lists it as one of the states where employees can legally be fired for being transgender.

"In six studies conducted between 1996 and 2006, 20 to 57% of transgender respondents said they experienced employment discrimination, including being fired, denied a promotion or harassed, " wrote the HRC. "Though even more difficult to measure, transgender people also face incredible barriers as job applicants."

However, a recent survey from the Public Religion Research Institute found 71% of Americans support "laws that would protect gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people from discrimination in jobs, housing, and public accommodations," including "majorities of all major demographic, religious, and political groups."