Female model sues agency for refusing to hire her as male model after gender transition

Frances Coombe, 30, of Canada, filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday against Muse Model Management in New York City. Coombe was a catwalk model for the agency. The management company branded Coombe "insufficiently masculine" to work as a male model in men's fashion, the New York Post reports.

Coombe, who has walked for famous high-end brands such as Gucci and Marc Jacobs, said that Muse allegedly "refused" her request to work as a male model and terminated her contract, according to the suit.

The lawsuit claims that the modeling agency and its president, Conor Kennedy, violated Coombe's civil rights that protect gender identity. Coombe is seeking more than $300,000 in lost wages as well as damages for emotional distress, according to the outlet.

"It is no surprise that models evolve their looks, and I had been moving towards more androgyny for quite some time," Coombe told the Daily Beast.

Coombe believes that she was specifically targeted and said that other models who have been moving towards more androgynous looks allegedly did not receive the same treatment as Coombe, the outlet reports.

The lawsuit states that Coombe, who at the time identified as non-binary, said that Kennedy informed her in October 2021 that the agency would continue to consider her for women's work because the industry did not recognize genderless work.

"In modeling life, you will be 'she' and 'her' until you arrive on set; non-binary models are not sought after in the casting process. When you show up for a job you can tell them your pronouns then," Kennedy reportedly told Coombe. "We'll be sending you to women's wear jobs and you have to separate your private life from your work life."

After that, Coombe made arrangements to have new digital photographs taken in order to "rebrand as a model with non-binary gender expression."

Coombe alleges that the modeling agency's art department refused her request to wear men's clothing and "insisted" that she wear a bikini.

The complaint states that the following month, in January 2022, Coombe presented the agency with photographs of herself as a male. Around that time, Coombe began using testosterone, which resulted in a more masculine appearance. Muse modeling agency removed her photos from its website shortly after.

Coombe's appearance was considered to be "insufficiently masculine" to be considered for the agency's roster of male models during a July meeting with the company, according to the complaint. Coombe is seeking significant monetary damages and lost wages after experiencing a "rapid decline" in modeling work.

Coombe said she was forced to resign from the company and had been with Muse Modeling Agency since 2011. She is now working as a male model for WE Speak Model Management.

Carlos Carvajal, an attorney for Muse, told the Daily Beast in a statement that the lawsuit "lacks merit."

"Muse represented Frances Coombe for over 10 years as a model. It's surprising and disappointing that Frances has filed this lawsuit, after a decade of working together, that lacks merit and is legally flawed," Carvajal said. "We look forward to clearing Muse of any alleged wrongdoing."