First Debrahlee Lorenzana got fired from Citibank for her sexy style of dressing, but now she says she is in hot water with her bosses at JP Morgan Chase for talking to the media about her case against Citibank.
Lorenzana claims she was told by her Citibank bosses — all of them male — her clothing “distracted” them. The shapely 33-year-old Little Neck mother and her attorney claim the clothing she wore to work was not provocative. That attire included turtle neck sweaters and tight skirts that showed off her figure.
According to her attorney, his client was within the company’s dress code and that Citibank is harassing her. A Citibank spokesman said her termination was based on her performance, not her attire.
We cannot remember a case where a female employee was sued because she was told to be less sexy.
It is not hard to understand why her bosses at JP Morgan Chase are concerned about the media attention Lorenzana is getting. From what she said, the new bank asked her to get her picture off the front page. That seems like a reasonable request.
If her Citibank bosses asked Lorenzana to dress more provocatively, we would be more sympathetic. Her attorneys said Lorenzana is “speaking truth to power,” but Lorenzana appears to be enjoying her minute of fame a little too much.
Arizona’s Hate Draws Anger Here
It is rare that actions taken by a state on the other side of the country merit the attention of elected officials here. But two Queens City Council members had good reason to protest the anti-immigrant measures recently passed into law in Arizona.
Recently, Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras and Councilman Danny Dromm joined Corona- and Elmhurst-based immigration reform advocates in a protest outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters in lower Manhattan.
Arizona should be embarrassed by its new law. Nothing can disguise the fact that it is the product of bias and unfounded fear.
What we would like to see is a condemnation of the Arizona law by the Council and the state Legislature. The upstate Tea Partiers may cheer the Arizona crackdown, but it should be made clear that a city built by immigrants does not.
