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An editor who worked on the animated film The Bad Guys 2 is suing two major entertainment companies behind the project — DreamWorks Animation and NBCUniversal Media — alleging anti-trans discrimination during the film’s production.
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Parker Goldsmith, who is transgender, filed a lawsuit against the companies in California state court last week, alongside several people who worked on the film, including former editor John Venzon.
Goldsmith alleges that throughout production, Venzon repeatedly subjected them to harassment related to their gender identity. According to the complaint, Venzon used Goldsmith’s deadname, sent them unsolicited memes about transgender people, asked invasive questions about their medical transition and personal life, and made sexually inappropriate remarks.
The lawsuit describes the behavior as “severe, pervasive, and unwelcome harassment” that created a hostile work environment during the production of the DreamWorks sequel.
Related: LGBTQ+ employees now have more trouble fighting harassment in the workplace
Related: 7 key takeaways from the Supreme Court’s ‘reverse discrimination’ case
Goldsmith also alleges that Venzon frequently singled them out in front of coworkers by discussing their pronouns and gender identity and asking personal questions about their transition. In some instances, the complaint says, Venzon asked intrusive questions about hormone treatment and made jokes about transgender bodies.
According to the filing, Goldsmith reported the conduct to supervisors multiple times before eventually escalating the issue to human resources.
Venzon was fired from the film in March 2024, Law360 reported. By that point, Goldsmith had already begun working remotely on the film after raising concerns with human resources, according to the lawsuit.
But the lawsuit alleges that the workplace environment did not improve after complaining. Goldsmith says coworkers and supervisors continued to discuss the HR investigation openly and to mock references to human resources that circulated among staff, creating what the lawsuit describes as a “retaliatory environment.”
Goldsmith continued working on The Bad Guys 2 until the production wrapped in May 2025. However, the lawsuit alleges that after reporting the harassment, the companies stopped offering them new work opportunities despite multiple openings for which they were qualified.
Related: Supreme Court sides with straight woman in so-called 'reverse discrimination' case
Related: Indiana advances bill that would 'mandate discrimination' against trans people, ACLU warns
Goldsmith is seeking compensation for emotional distress, punitive damages, and other losses. The lawsuit also asks the court to require the companies to discipline responsible managers and provide specialized workplace training to employees involved in the production.
Media representatives for the two companies did not immediately return The Advocate’s requests for comment.
An attorney for Goldsmith said the case comes down to “their right to work in an environment free from harassment and hostility based on sex, gender, gender identity, and gender expression.”
“The entertainment industry has long struggled with these issues,” wrote attorney Eliot Rushovich in an email to The Advocate. “Even though speaking up can carry real professional risks, our client felt these rights were too important to remain silent.”
This article was written as part of the Future of Queer Media fellowship program at The Advocate, which is underwritten by a generous gift from Morrison Media Group. The program helps support the next generation of LGBTQ+ journalists.
