A bank worker in Hong Kong filed a complaint against HSBC after being assigned a genderless toilet when he began arriving to work at the bank dressed as a woman in the first stage of a sex change.
The 55-year-old Sr. IT manager claims he has not been permitted to use either the men’s or ladies’ restrooms since he officially switched genders and that the creation of the “genderless toilet” for (s)his usage is an act of discrimination. (I wasn’t even aware that toilets had genders.)
The employee is currently taking female hormones and is scheduled to have the sex change operation in November and feels that he should be allowed to use the female washroom in the meantime, taking the matter to the Equal Opportunities Commission.
He also claims that he has suffered discrimination in the office; namely that requests for a departmental transfer and early retirement have been ignored. In addition, his performance rating has been downgraded because of his gender switch and he is now fearful that he will lose his job.
His complaint is now before the Equal Opportunity Commission and awaiting an official response from the bank. A representative of HSBC has commented that the company is aware of the situation but stresses that the corporation treats all employees with the same respect: (none).
