Energy company ‘rethinks’ decision to reject woman for job over lesbian nipple kiss photo
An energy company that sacked a woman over a lesbian Instagram picture has ‘rethought’ the decision.
Samantha Chirichella had originally been hired by energy company Consolidated Edison in March, as a staff investigator in the legal services department.
But the worker was dropped from the position – which came with a $70,000-a-year salary – after a background check flagged ‘erotic’ lesbian pictures she had posted on her Instagram.
The offending image was taken three years ago and featured Ms Chirichella and another woman lying down and kissing eachother’s nipples.
The company had initially defended the decision despite legal threats – but after the story went viral online, it has “rethought” its stance and decided to hire Ms Chirichella.
Ms Chirichella’s lawyer Arthur Schwartz told the New York Daily News that the pictures were “no more sexually explicit that the works of DaVinci, Titian or Michaelangelo” – and that the change of heart from Con Ed came after “a rush of media interest” in the case.
He added: “We appreciate Con Edison’s rapid resolution of this dispute and the sensitivity of the posting and its frank discussion of homosexuality.
“Ms. Chirichella is a smart, capable woman, whose father is a ‘lifer’ at Con Edison and they will not regret this decision.”
The energy company has not commented on the case,
