Transgender Editor Hits Dreamworks with Bias Lawsuit

Persistent, unwelcome intrusion

Goldsmith, a queer trans man who uses they/them pronouns, was hired in the spring of 2023 as a first assistant editor for the animated film The Bad Guys 2. During the time they worked on the project, Goldsmith underwent gender-affirming care and was actively in the middle of transition.

John Venson was the film’s lead editor and Goldsmith’s direct supervisor. Venson allegedly subjected Goldsmith to repeated, pervasive and unwelcome harassment based on Goldsmith’s sex, gender, gender identity and orientation.

Shortly after Goldsmith started work, Venzon allegedly texted them the cover art for the Lambda Literary award-winning zine 2 Trans 2 Furious, and commented, “If you have a truck with balls hanging from it, and your truck wasn’t born with balls, and you put the balls on an elective process, you have a trans truck. Congratulations.”

Goldsmith further alleges that Venzon asked severely invasive questions about their personal life, romantic relationship with their male partner, made comments about queer and transgender stereotypes, and questioned their medical transitioning process, bathroom usage and other aspects of private life. Venzon also asked Goldsmith if they and their male partner were in an open relationship.

Venson allegedly also outed Goldsmith without consent, misgendered and misnamed them. Goldsmith began to feel uncomfortable about Venson’s repeated requests for private one-on-one meetings, and their private life became the subject of office gossip and ridicule.

Goldsmith complained to HR over a period of two months. HR reportedly took no meaningful action. Instead, plaintiff was forced to work from home, secluded from the rest of their team. Venson was fired in 2024. Goldsmith received no further work from Dreamworks. They brought this California lawsuit in March 2026. Goldsmith is not alone. Nearly 70 percent of transgender California workers have experienced discrimination or harassment at work.

California law protects trans workers

FEHA bars employers with five or more employees from discriminating against or harassing them because of gender identity, expression, or transgender status. All employees, job applicants, unpaid interns, volunteers, and contractors are protected from discrimination at work. Specifically, California employers may not:

• make non-job-related background inquiries about a potential employee. Applicants must be notified that a background check is being done and given a copy of any report;
• access medical records, unless the job is related to an applicant’s or employee’s anatomy;
• ask a previous employer about transgender status;
• offer health insurance policies to employees that have specific exclusions for gender transition-related care, unless the health plan is self-funded, rather than insured.

As a transgender employee, you have the right to:

• use the restroom that corresponds with your gender identity;
• be called by your preferred name, even without a legal name change;
• be referred to with your preferred pronoun;
• refuse to answer questions about your body, including whether you have had surgery;
• take medical leave for surgery during transition;
• refuse to discuss transgender status, although you may be asked about prior names for the purpose of a background check;
• if your employer has a dress code, you must be allowed to dress in accordance with your gender identity;
• if your employer has sex-segregated jobs, you must also be allowed to perform the functions that align with your gender identity; and
• if you are actively transitioning at work, you have the right to be treated with dignity and respect.

Federal law protects transgender workers

Bostock v. Clayton County is the seminal U.S. Supreme Court decision that protects the employment rights of LGBTQ+ individuals. It holds that Title VII’s prohibition on discrimination “on the basis of sex” also covers gender identity and expression. Bostock is the bedrock on which federal and California law protecting transgender workplace rights is built.

In general FEHA is broader and more explicit than Title VII in the protections it provides. As a matter of litigation strategy, however, some plaintiffs choose to cite both statutes in their lawsuits.

Taking these 4 steps may help you reach a satisfactory resolution:

• keep detailed, contemporaneous records of discriminatory actions. Include dates, locations, and the names of others who witnessed the interaction. Keep this record at home.
• Make a formal complaint to HR. As above, keep a record of meetings, comments and actions.
• Reach out to an attorney who has experience with anti-transgender workplace disputes.
• File a complaint with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH). The DFEH will interview the employee about what happened and may assign an investigator. A complaint must be filed with the DFEH within one year from the last act of discrimination and before you bring a lawsuit. 

There is no reason for transgender workers to suffer the kind of mistreatment that Parker Goldsmith describes. Workplace discrimination against transgender people is against the law, and transgender workers have resources and allies.