A JPMorgan Chase employee, Brian Larson, is alleging that he was pushed out of his job due to discrimination linked to his sexuality. Larson, who identifies as openly gay, claims he faced a hostile work environment that led to severe mental health issues, including panic attacks, depression, and a resurgence of trichotillomania—a psychological condition in which a person feels an urge to pull out their own hair. This condition, which had not been a problem since his childhood, caused noticeable bald patches on his scalp, eyebrows, and eyelashes, as detailed in a federal lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court. Larson served as the co-chair of PRIDE Tri-State, a workplace group for LGBTQ+ employees at JPMorgan. In October 2023, he was called into HR over about $40 in expenses for Uber rides related to Pride Month events. HR reportedly questioned the expenses, but Larson said he had approval from his manager to attend the events and claimed the rides were necessary. His manager supported his account, and the issue was dropped. However, four days later, Larson was told he needed to quit or be fired, with HR stating that his time in the Chase Associate Program had ended. If he did not resign, the termination would remain on his record, making it difficult to be rehired at JPMorgan, according to the lawsuit. Larson claims he faced retaliation after raising concerns about discriminatory conduct. He described the atmosphere at JPMorgan as "lowkey homophobic," citing a supervisor who allegedly targeted him by removing him from projects and giving him a "very low rating" on his performance review. This, according to Larson, hindered his ability to move to another department or secure new roles internally, despite positive feedback from interviewers. The complaint also references JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon, who Larson claims asked a gay executive to explain the Kinsey scale—a framework that views sexual orientation as a spectrum—and reportedly said he "could be 17 percent gay," which Larson described as "both odd and offensive." Following his separation from JPMorgan, Larson applied for 25 to 30 new positions, both at JPMorgan and other companies. He was hired as a senior manager at a financial services management consultancy in March 2024, where he received positive feedback. However, his migraines became too severe, leading him to leave that position in July 2025. He is now subsisting on Social Security Disability Insurance benefits. Larson's attorneys, Julia Elmaleh-Sachs and Samantha Wilhelm, stated that JPMorgan violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which protects LGBTQ+ employees from workplace discrimination. They are seeking back and future lost wages, benefits, health care coverage, compensatory damages for emotional distress, and punitive damages. In response, a JPMorgan spokesman said the bank took the allegations seriously and found no evidence to substantiate Larson's claims. A source at the bank stated that Larson's managers found "gaps" in his performance and provided coaching on improving the quality of his work, receptiveness to feedback, and communication. The source also noted that participation in the Chase Associate Program does not guarantee a permanent role and that Larson eventually resigned after not securing one.