Frances Coombe, a 30-year-old Canadian catwalk model, has filed a federal lawsuit against his former modeling agency, Muse Model Management NYC, and its president, Conor Kennedy, for allegedly discriminating against him based on his gender identity and preventing him from working in men’s fashion.
According to the lawsuit, Coombe transitioned from female to male in 2022, after working with Muse for over a decade. He claims that Muse refused to support his decision and continued to pitch him for women’s jobs, even though he had expressed his desire to model as a male.
Coombe also alleges that Muse’s art department forced him to wear a bikini for a photo shoot, instead of allowing him to wear menswear, and that Kennedy told him that there was no such thing as genderless work in the modeling industry.
The lawsuit further states that Muse removed Coombe’s photographs from its website for several months, and that he experienced a sharp decline in work opportunities and income after his transition. Coombe accuses Muse of making comments that suggested his changed gender identity was the reason for his lack of success.
Coombe is seeking more than $300,000 in lost income and damages for emotional distress, as well as a declaration that Muse violated his civil rights under the New York City Human Rights Law, which prohibits discrimination based on gender identity and expression.
Coombe, who has walked for renowned brands such as Marc Jacobs and Gucci, is now working as a male model for WE Speak Model Management.
Muse and Kennedy have denied the allegations and called the lawsuit “legally flawed” and “lacking merit”. Their lawyer, Carlos Carvajal, said in a statement to the Daily Beast: “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. We look forward to clearing Muse of any alleged wrongdoing.”
