Beleaguered Manhattan Hoteliers Hit With Employment Discrimination Lawsuit

The Advocate reports:

Out NYC Hotel owners Ian Reisner and Mati Weiderpass, still doing damage control after their ill-fated dinner with antigay presidential candidate Ted Cruz, recently received more bad news — four former and current employees at the KTCHN restaurant and XL Nightclub, located within the Out NYC, are suing the establishment. The suit, alleging discrimination and withheld pay, is on behalf of specific plaintiffs and “all others similarly-situated.” The allegations by James Stress, Paul Shreve, Donald Shorter, and Jonathan Taylor are twofold. All four employees named in the suit claim KTCHN and XL failed to pay for overime work and withheld part of their tips, resulting in violations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act as well as New York City and state law. Shorter and Stress also allege discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity — by establishments that are owned by and cater to LGBT people.

In addition to claims about withheld tips, the complaint states that only male employees were recently told they could not wear makeup or nail polish. Such restrictions may be in violation of NYC's Human Rights Act, which forbids gender-based employment discrimination. Former Out NYC staffers James Stress and Donald Shorter contend that management targeted them specifically because they don't "adhere to masculine stereotypes." Hit the link for much more.