The Marshalls store in Oshawa where Gale worked for about a year. The letter goes on to state that the matter was closed after formal warnings were issued. Staff would pick up something pink and feminine and call out, "wouldn't Michael like this?" Investigation found Gale was targetedĪrmed with this information from his friends, Gale filed a complaint with human resources June 2018.Īfter an investigation was conducted, Gale received a letter in July from the company's Regional HR manager, stating his store's management had "participated in conversations that were hurtful to and against Human Rights protected ground of sexuality." There were also several instances where Snow says Gale was mocked when he wasn't around. "They don't have any right to want to know about the people he's dated." Then there was one experience where management called her into the office to talk about Gale's past. for more than two years when she says her colleagues started asking her questions about Gale's dating history. She had been working at the Marshalls on Harmony Road N. Jewelle Snow has known Gale for a long time. "They told me they were pulled into the office to discuss me, to discuss my sexual orientation and my background," said Gale. Michael Gale received a letter from the company's human resources department in July 2018 stating management at the Oshawa store acted inappropriately. It was only when two of his friends pulled him aside, saying a few managers were making fun of him for being gay, that he knew something was wrong. As I walked past her she started having a conversation that nail polish on men is disgusting," said Gale.Īt first, the 29-year-old says he took the comments in stride and even laughed it off when one of his older female colleagues told him to "find a nice woman and settle down." "There was one day when I came in with my nails painted black and I walked in and said, 'Hey,' to the head manager at the time. The rude comments, Gale says, started a few months into his new job after he opened up to a co-worker about his sexuality. "If you go to gay Pride, you see Marshalls, HomeSense and Winners plastered all over the Pride flags, so I felt it was going to be an accepting place," said Gale. But when he reported instances of discrimination, he says management started looking for reasons to let him go. It felt like a promising experience where he could move up and most of all be himself. When Michael Gale landed a job at an Oshawa Marshalls store he was excited.