Autumn Metcalf, a former Kennedy Center employee, filed a federal lawsuit on October 27 alleging racial discrimination, retaliation and a hostile work environment. The complaint says supervisors monitored her bathroom breaks, ordered her to remove a whiteboard from her cubicle and pushed her out of her job because she is a queer Black woman.
Metcalf worked as a representative in the Kennedy Center's subscriptions office from 2022 until she resigned in December 2025, according to Forbes. The complaint alleges that supervisors scrutinized her more closely than white colleagues, including by recording how much time she spent in the restroom, Forbes reported.
The complaint also alleges that supervisors said Metcalf spent too long away from her desk and told her to remove a whiteboard outside her cubicle that displayed jokes and quotations. It says her white former coworkers did not face the same scrutiny, according to Forbes and TheGrio.
A Remark About Grenell's Assistants
The complaint also describes a remark by manager Stephanie Atkinson about the assistants of then-interim Kennedy Center leader Richard Grenell, who is openly gay. In October 2025, Atkinson allegedly called the assistants his “twinks.” Metcalf said she considered the remark homophobic and offensive, according to Forbes' account of the complaint.
The complaint describes two suspensions in November 2025. Metcalf alleges Derek Younger confronted her on November 18 and suspended her without pay after an exchange that made her fear he might physically assault her. On November 20, Kennedy Center managers suspended her for two weeks, citing alleged attendance and timekeeping problems, according to the complaint.
Legal Counsel Accused of Blocking Complaint
The lawsuit also names Kennedy Center associate general counsel Laura Hagan. Metcalf alleges Hagan dismissed her discrimination concerns and interfered with her ability to file an equal employment opportunity complaint. The complaint cites coworkers who questioned Metcalf's treatment, Forbes reported.
Metcalf resigned on December 4, 2025, saying the working conditions had become intolerable. She seeks back pay, compensation for the alleged harm and removal of disciplinary records from her file.
What the Law Says About Retaliation
Federal workplace protections generally shield employees who participate in a discrimination complaint process from retaliation under any circumstance, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The agency also notes that other acts opposing discrimination are protected when an employee reasonably believes workplace conduct may violate the law.
D.C. Code § 32-1311 provides a 90-day presumption of retaliation when an employer takes adverse action after an employee engages in the activities listed in subsection (a). The presumption may be rebutted with clear and convincing evidence of another permissible reason, according to the D.C. Council Code. The provision is not a blanket rule for every discrimination complaint.
Which D.C. retaliation law applies?
A separate provision, D.C. Code § 2–1402.61, appears in the Human Rights chapter and prohibits retaliation or interference connected to rights protected under that chapter, according to the D.C. Law Library. The 90-day presumption described above applies to the activities specified in § 32-1311, not automatically to every discrimination complaint.
The Kennedy Center's Human Resources department says its employee population includes federal employees, full-time and part-time Trust employees, and union employees. Its description does not identify which category Metcalf belonged to, according to the Center's Human Resources department.
The allegations against the Kennedy Center remain unproven, and the court has not ruled on them. Forbes said it reached out to the Kennedy Center for comment on the lawsuit but had not received a response as of its report.
