Trans Conde Nast staffer, 3 others fired after confronting HR head over Teen Vogue layoffs

Teen Vogue laid off their political journalists, hired in 2016 after President Donald Trump won his first term in office, and is folding the publication back under the Vogue banner. Teen Vogue will now focus on "career development, cultural leadership and other issues that matter most to young people."

Four of those who confronted the HR head over changes at Teen Vogue were fired. Saying that the staffers all displayed "gross misconduct and policy violations," Condé Nast released Jasper Lo of the New Yorker, Jake Lahut of Wired, Alma Avalle of Bon Appétit and Ben Dewey of Condé Nast Entertainment. The union representing the workers, NewsGuild, said the firings were "illegal."

"Management's attempt at union-busting, using intimidation and grossly illegal tactics to try to suppress protected union activity will not stand," NewsGuild president Susan DeCarava said. "The NewsGuild of New York has zero tolerance for bad bosses who harass, target and disrespect our fellow Guild members." The union demanded the staffers be reinstated and fired a federal labor complaint.

Avalle, who is transgender, posted to Bluesky after being let go, saying "I was acting as a union member and concerned employee when I questioned Stan Duncan, well within my legal rights. I don't love pointing to my identity, but the company saying that I was behaving 'aggressively' when I was calmly asking questions feels like a clear transphobic dog whistle."

One of the complaints from NewsGuild after the Teen Vogue layoffs was that Condé Nast's plans were to terminate six staffers, "most of whom are BIPOC women or trans, including Teen Vogue’s Politics Editor — continuing the trend of layoffs at Condé disproportionately impacting marginalized employees."

After he was terminated Lahut put out a call for cash, saying "After getting terminated as one of the Fired Four at Condé Nast, I need to shore up a couple months of rent as I get on my feet." He added "any amount helps. Plus, New York is expensive!" By Sunday, he had already exceeded his $8,000 donation goal.

Workers for the teen mag showed up at the office of HR head Stan Duncan on Thursday, demanding that he speak to them. He declined, told them to stop "congregating," and asked them and said "We’d appreciate if you would go back to the workplace, to your workplace assignments."

Jake Lahut of Wired asked "What counts as congregating? What’s your definition of congregating?"

Trans writer Alma Avalle of Bon Appétit asked "Is there a place that you’d be able to speak to us?"

Duncan said, in a video obtained by The Wrap, "not today, we have other things going on."

"Do you think we're not worth speaking to, Stan?" Avalle asked.

"Those are your words, not mine," Duncan said.

Avalle went on, saying "But they might be your beliefs!" Duncan says they are not before walking away, saying he's in a meeting and can't talk to them.

Duncan walks away down the hallway only for Avalle to start following him aggressively, saying that this is their "workplace." As Duncan continued on, Avalle asks "are you running away from us?" Other staffers follow Avalle at a distance.

But Avalle presses on, saying "well, we have some quick questions. If you answered them, we'd be happy to go back to our desks."

Another staffer shouts "we're concerned about our colleagues!"

Duncan keeps walking away from Avalle, who continues to follow him and demand answers not only about Teen Vogue but what Duncan "is going to do to stand up to the Trump administration?"

Condé Nast told the New York Post that The Wrap's video did not show the entire confrontation. "The video footage shared by the union captures only a portion of the incident," they said. "Several additional minutes are missing from their version."

The union for the staffers, NewsGuild, disagrees. The footage, DeCarava said, "speaks for itself." DeCarava said that the staffers, in pursuing Duncan, were "clearly exercising their legally protected right to engage in concerted action." She went on to say that Condé Nast management was trying to "bully workers into silence."

The union contract was ratified in 2024 after what The Wrap calls "acrimonious bargaining that included a daylong walkout, a demonstration outside Condé Nast’s headquarters at One World Trade Center and a threat to upend the Met Gala."