 |
| Photo Credit: AP. |
A federal judge ruled unconstitutional a dress code ordinance put in place by the city of Everett requiring employees, owners and operators of bikini baristas and other “quick service outlets” including coffee shops, fast food restaurants, food trucks etc. to wear clothing that cover their upper and lower bodies at work.
A U.S.
District Court in Seattle determined that the dress code ordinance enacted by the
city of Everett violated the Equal Protection clauses of the U.S. and
Washington state constitutions after a lengthy legal battle between operators
of the affected businesses and the city, according to The Associated Press.
U.S.
District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez said in a 19-p-age ruling that the ordinance
was shaped by a gender-based discriminatory purpose, according to The Associated
Press.
The court
noted that the ordinance specifically targeted women and does not apply to men since
it prohibits clothing “typically worn by women rather than men.” The ordinance
affects clothing such as midriff, scoop-back shirts and bikinis.
The court
ruled that bikini baristas were a target of the ordinance because the
profession has a workforce that is almost entirely women.
The 2017 ordinance was challenged by the owner of Everett bikini stand Hillbilly Hotties and a number of employees who argued against the constitutionality of the dress code.