Javier Chavez had no complaints in doing his job as a senior store detective at Macy's, but when he stood up for his religious beliefs, he was promptly fired.
Chavez, a devout Roman Catholic, was hired by Macy's in 1990 as a door guard. After a few years, he was promoted as a store detective. He eventually became the senior store detective at the department store's branch in Flushing, Queens, New York, Todd Starnes writes for Fox News.
But after serving Macy's for more than 26 years, Chavez was thoughtlessly fired after he stood up against a transgender man who was using the ladies' bathroom.
Back in May, Chavez responded to a call by a female customer and her daughter who were afraid to use the bathroom because there was transgender male inside. A security guard asked the transgender to leave, but to no avail.
"He later exited the bathroom holding hands with his female companion and he declared that he 'was a female,' which was not true," Chavez writes in his official complaint with the New York State Division of Human Rights.
Because of Chavez's interference, the transgender customer filed a complaint with the store management. In response, the assistant store manager told Chavez that men who identify themselves as women are allowed to use the ladies' room.
"I advised her that this was against my religion and contrary to the Bible," Chavez says. "I also mentioned that I would not like my young daughters to be in the bathroom with a male inside."
A few days later, Chavez was directed towards human resources to resolve the issue. He even asked them for a copy of the new policy concerning restroom usage, but he received a termination letter instead.
"After my employer learned that I was a practicing Catholic, with religious concerns about this policy, I was terminated because of my religion," he says.
For its part, Macy's refused to discuss Chavez's case and simply maintained that "Macy's does not make employment decisions based upon religious beliefs or religions practices of applicants or employees."
