Thanks to Clover Montessori School and Minnesota Locks for their support.
A former employee at the Walmart store in West St. Paul is suing the retail giant for discrimination. Store supervisors reportedly harassed the employee, then teenager Jackson Villareal, for being transgender. One supervisor offered another worker $100 to pull down Villareal’s pants, according to a Star Tribune story.
The Minnesota Department of Human Rights investigation found that Walmart subjected Villareal to “severe and pervasive harassment.”
Walmart denied the allegations and told the Star Tribune it does “not tolerate discrimination of any kind.” Villareal declined to comment for the Star Tribune story.
What Happened
The alleged incidents occurred in the fall of 2020, with investigations starting in 2021 and the state report released in late 2023. Here’s a timeline of what happened, according to reports:
- Villareal started working at Walmart in September of 2020 when he was 16. He had not yet legally changed his name or gender, so used his birth name and gender when he applied.
- Despite using his preferred name—his name tag said “Jack”—supervisors began calling Villareal by his birth name about a month into his employment. When asked to stop, the harassment escalated. Coworkers began questioning Villareal and using his birth name “in ways that were ruder and more intentional,” as the Star Tribune quotes the state report. A supervisor said someone should snap Villareal’s bra and then made the offer about pulling down Villareal’s pants. After learning of the threat from a coworker, Villareal never returned to work.
- After a police complaint in January of 2021 and a tip to Walmart’s ethics line, Walmart began investigating the incident in March. In April, they fired the supervisor who made the pants threat.
Human Rights Investigation
- In December 2023, the state investigation “found ‘probable cause’ that Walmart discriminated against Villarreal, subjecting him to a ‘hostile work environment because of his gender identity,'” according to the Star Tribune. The state report also concluded that Walmart “constructively discharged” Villareal, an employment law term for when poor working conditions force an employee to resign.
- Walmart appealed the probable cause findings and failed. The Department of Human Rights tried to settle the case, which also failed.
What’s Next?
Villareal sued Walmart last fall and the case was pending before a Dakota County District Court. It’s since been moved to federal court due to alleged Civil Rights Act violations with a settlement conference scheduled for late February.
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When I read stories like these, one element that strikes me is that the victim is typically named, but the alleged perpetrators and their defenders, such as the corporate attorneys are not. Presumably, that is public information but perhaps I am incorrect about that.
Also, I found it shocking that the incident occurred in 2020 and it is still lingering in the court system in 2025. That fact alone strongly favors a company like Walmart which has deep pockets and can absorb the financial impact. Most individual victims can’t take that amount of time or money to seeks redress.
It saddens me that people in our community treat transgender people with such hatred and disrespect.
I’ll look forward to updates on this story.