McDonald's Employee Alleges She Was Fired, Discriminated Against for Being Gay

A former McDonald's employee has filed a lawsuit against a franchise owner in Connecticut accusing the restaurant of discrimination. According to the Connecticut Law Tribune, Latoya Lewis alleges she was "subject to a hostile work environment" because she is gay. The lawsuit claims two of Lewis' supervisors made comments "about her in Spanish" and told her she was not allowed to work next to another female employee even though Lewis says it was "necessary for the two to work together."

Lewis — who was hired by McDonald's in June 2010 — believes she was "under more pressure and closer supervision from her managers," because of her sexual preferences. The lawsuit notes that the franchise owner knew about Lewis' complaints about her work environment but "did nothing about it." Lewis says she was fired a year later after she complained to the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities. She is suing for "suffered emotional distress and economic losses."

McDonald's isn't the first restaurant to face accusations of discrimination against the LGBT community. In May, a bakery in Northern Ireland was found guilty of discriminating against a gay customer when it refused to make him a cake "with a pro-gay marriage slogan," on it. The business was forced to pay $775 in damages, which the customer donated to charity.