Does your job have grounds to fire you over period problems? Well, according to a Georgia woman, Alisha Coleman, that’s just what happened to her. Coleman is suing her former employer for workplace discrimination after she was fired for period leaks.
According to Coleman, who worked as a 911 dispatcher at the Bobby Dodd Institute in Fort Benning, Georgia, she had a period leak on the way to the bathroom on April 22, 2016. However, even after cleaning a spot on the carpet with bleach and disinfectant, her supervisor was instructed to give her the boot. She was let go on April 26, 2016.
As for the reason provided for the layoff, Coleman was told she was being let go because she didn't "practice high standards of personal hygiene and maintain a clean, neat appearance while on duty," the lawsuit reads. It’s important to note, that the filing also lists two separate occasions where Coleman experienced a leak and was allegedly written up before being fired.
You May Also Like
“I loved my job at the 911 call center because I got to help people,” Coleman, who is being represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Georgia, said in a statement shared by the ACLU. “Every woman dreads getting period symptoms when they're not expecting them, but I never thought I could be fired for it. Getting fired for an accidental period leak was humiliating. I don’t want any woman to have to go through what I did, so I'm fighting back.”
The ACLU and co-counsel Buckley Beal LLP say Coleman’s case is one of workplace discrimination based on sex, including “pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions." Furthermore, they argue that it violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. While, the motion was dismissed in district court in February, Coleman's team is taking the suit to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
“Employers have no business policing women’s bodies or their menstrual cycles,” executive director of the ACLU of Georgia, Andrea Young, said in a statement. “Firing a woman for getting her period at work is offensive and an insult to every woman in the workplace. A heavy period is something nearly all women will experience, especially as they approach menopause, and Alisha was shamed, demeaned and fired for it. That’s wrong and illegal under federal law. We’re fighting back.”
There are a number of other reasons a woman may experience a heavy period. These can include:
You May Also Like
- Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
- Uterine fibroids
- Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
- Cervical or endometrial cancers
According to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, abnormal spotting or bleeding is common during perimenopause. While some women may begin to skip their periods altogether, others may experience irregular bleeding or spotting. Some months, your period may be longer and heavier. Other cycles it may be shorter and lighter. The number of days between periods may even increase or decrease. This is due to the hormone levels shifting from a regular pattern.
Know Your Rights
So, what are your rights when it applies to women's health issues in the workplace? Here’s what’s illegal:
- Firing a woman because she becomes pregnant (the same goes for treating pregnant women worse than others who are also temporarily unable to perform some aspects of a job).
- Discriminating against women who become pregnant out of wedlock (yes it happens).
- - Denying women work if after failing a physical test, it can’t be proven that the tested skills are necessary for the job. This mainly happens at jobs where physical tests disqualify women at a higher rate than men. Think police force, special unit, military jobs.
For more information on women’s rights in the workplace, visit the ACLU.
