Joel Dillard & Associates

Representing Working People

Complaint filed alleging sex-stereotyping discrimination by Hibbett Sports, Inc.

The firm recently filed a complaint in federal district court alleging that Hibbett Sports, Inc., discriminated against a lesbian job applicant by engaging in sexual stereotyping. The firm is representing the job applicant. The full complaint is available here. The following is an excerpt:

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  2. Ms. Hodges application for employment at Hibbett's location in Pontotoc, Mississippi was denied when Hibbett, through its agents, told Ms. Hodges that she would have to be more feminine in order to work at Hibbett.
  3. Hibbett also objected to Ms. Hodges hair, which is neatly locked and kept up, but which strikes some observers as stereotypical of black masculinity, and was described by Hibbett as extreme. Ms. Hodges is a black lesbian.
  4. This unlawful gender and race based stereotyping was undertaken pursuant to Hibbett's facially discriminatory company dress and grooming policy, which requires that [h]airstyles for female employees must be neat and conservative in nature. (emphasis added).

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