Openly gay JPMorgan employee was told to quit or be fired, bombshell lawsuit claims

An openly gay JPMorgan Chase employee was allegedly given a brutal ultimatum – quit or be fired – after enduring months of homophobic treatment that he claims left him suffering panic attacks, depression and agonizing migraines according to the complaint he filed in federal court. Brian Larson, a former senior associate who also helped lead an LGBTQ+ employee group at the banking giant, claims in his complaint that he was effectively forced out after complaining about discrimination from a supervisor. The explosive allegations are laid out in a federal lawsuit filed in Manhattan this week, which claims Larson's ordeal became so severe that a childhood psychological condition returned and he began pulling out his own hair.JPMorgan strongly denies the accusations, saying an internal investigation found no evidence to substantiate Larson's claims.Larson joined JPMorgan through its Chase Associate Program (CAP) and was also co-chair of Pride Tri-State, an employee group supporting LGBTQ+ workers.But according to his lawsuit, his involvement with the group became a source of friction with one of his supervisors.The supervisor allegedly told Larson he needed to keep his 'gay job' separate from his regular work and warned that 'DEI wasn't going to save' him, according to the complaint.Larson also claims the supervisor told him: 'Just because [Mr. Larson is] gay doesn't mean [he] get[s] a leg up.' Brian Larson claims in a complaint he filed in court that his career at JPMorgan was derailed after he complained about alleged homophobic treatment from a supervisor, eventually leaving the banking giant in 2023. He is pictured counting his Broadway Playbills Larson served as co-chair of Pride Tri-State, an employee group supporting JPMorgan's LGBTQ+ workforce, but claims in his lawsuit that his involvement became a source of friction with his bossThe lawsuit alleges the relationship deteriorated despite Larson having received top marks during his first rotation, when his manager called him an 'all-star' and 'one of the best' CAP associates she had worked with.Larson claims Peter Bergman, his supervisor during the rotational Chase Associate Program at JPMorgan later removed him from projects and ultimately rated him merely 'on track' in all three categories - a result the complaint describes as a poor review within the CAP program.The alleged treatment took a devastating toll, according to the complaint.Larson claims he began experiencing panic attacks, severe depression and insomnia, gained between 20 and 25 pounds and suffered chronic migraines that evaded treatment.He also says he experienced a resurgence of trichotillomania, a condition characterized by recurrent urges to pull out hair.Larson had not suffered a flare-up since childhood, according to his lawsuit, but allegedly developed 'noticeable bald patches on his scalp, eyebrows and eyelashes' as his workplace stress intensified.More than two years after joining JPMorgan full-time, the dispute came to a head in October 2023.Larson was summoned to a meeting with human resources over roughly $40 in expenses, according to the complaint. Larson alleges in his complaint that a supervisor told him to keep his 'gay job' separate from his work at JPMorgan and warned him that 'DEI wasn't going to save' himThe expenses involved two Uber rides from Pride Month events Larson had attended in June as part of his Pride duties.HR allegedly told him the expenses 'raised questions about his trustworthiness and honesty,' the complaint reads.Larson further said his manager had approved his attendance at the events and that he had been instructed to expense the rides to JPMorgan.According to the lawsuit, his manager backed up his account and the expense issue was dropped.But just four days later, Larson claims he received another call from HR – and this time was allegedly confronted with the ultimatum that would end his career at the bank.'HR told Mr. Larson that if he did not resign he would be fired, and that termination would be on his record, negatively impacting his chance of being rehired by JPMorgan in the future,' the complaint states.The lawsuit claims HR then instructed Larson to log into an online portal, share his computer screen and submit his resignation while HR watched, even directing him which buttons to click. Larson claims that when he demanded to know why, he was told his time in the Chase Associate Program 'had run out.'He ultimately resigned.Larson maintains in this filing that his departure was the culmination of discrimination and retaliation after he spoke out about his treatment. JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon is also mentioned in Larson's lawsuit over an alleged conversation about sexuality which the former employee branded 'odd and offensive' JPMorgan has strongly denied Larson's allegations, saying an internal investigation found 'no evidence' to substantiate his claims of discrimination and retaliation'I was proud to build my career at JPMorgan Chase and believed deeply in the firm's stated commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion,' Larson said in a statement to the Daily Mail. 'When I experienced conduct that I believed was discriminatory and raised concerns through the appropriate channels, I expected those concerns to be taken seriously.'Instead, as alleged in the complaint, I faced retaliation that ultimately derailed my career at the firm.' JPMorgan paints a sharply different picture.'We take these allegations very seriously and after a thorough internal investigation we found no evidence to substantiate Mr. Larson's claims,' a spokesman said in a statement to the Daily Mail.A source at the bank also told the Daily Mail that Larson's managers identified 'gaps' in his performance and coached him on the quality of his work, communication and receptiveness to feedback.The source said Larson's participation in the Chase Associate Program did not guarantee him a permanent position and that he resigned after failing to secure one.Larson's complaint alleges his damaged performance record effectively trapped him.He says he applied for approximately 50 JPMorgan positions between July 2023 and February 2024, including after his departure from the bank, but failed to secure another role. Larson, pictured outside New York Public Library, claims in his lawsuit that the alleged treatment became so stressful that he suffered panic attacks, depression, insomnia and debilitating migraines Larson says he believed deeply in JPMorgan's public commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion, but claims his experience inside the company failed to live up to those promisesAlthough Larson felt interviewers were enthusiastic about him, his lawsuit claims he repeatedly encountered what appeared to be an 'invisible wall' once his applications progressed.The complaint alleges his negative performance review and information connected to his discrimination complaints were hindering his attempts to move elsewhere inside JPMorgan.One coworker cited in the lawsuit allegedly described the environment at the bank as 'lowkey homophobic.'The complaint also takes aim at JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon over an alleged conversation Larson says was recounted to him by another executive.According to the lawsuit, the executive told Larson that Dimon had asked him to explain the Kinsey scale before allegedly remarking that he 'could be 17 percent gay.' Larson says he considered the alleged remark 'both odd and offensive.' After leaving JPMorgan, Larson applied for dozens of other positions before securing a senior manager role at a financial-services management consultancy in March 2024.He claims he suffered worsening chronic migraines that had previously been controlled by treatment, but became more severe and stopped responding to treatment after he began working under Bergman. Larson left that job in July 2025 and now receives Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, according to his complaint.Larson's attorneys argue that JPMorgan violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. In 2020, the Supreme Court ruled Title VII's prohibition against discrimination because of sex protects gay and transgender employees.'As alleged in the complaint, Mr. Larson was a high-performing employee who deserved recognition for his contributions to the workplace, not harassment for his involvement in a LGBTQ+ pride group,' his attorneys Julia Elmaleh-Sachs and Samantha Wilhelm, said in a statement to the Daily Mail.'We look forward to holding JPMorgan Chase accountable.'In an email to the Mail Larson said he brought the case because workers should not fear that being open about their sexuality or reporting alleged discrimination could jeopardize their careers.'No employee should have to choose between being open about who they are and feeling secure in their job, or fear professional consequences for reporting discrimination,' he said.'I hope this case helps reinforce that workplace inclusion must be reflected not only in public commitments, but in how employees are actually treated when they speak up.'Larson is seeking back pay and future lost wages, benefits and healthcare coverage, along with damages for alleged emotional distress, humiliation, mental anguish and loss of enjoyment of life.