Getty Images; Alyssa Powell/BI
A bartender at a high-end restaurant in south Brooklyn, Alessia Gonzalez doesn’t feel free to speak her mind at work, at least on political issues. The neighborhood, Bay Ridge, is a Republican stronghold, and customers are often decked out in MAGA hats.
Gonzalez, 27, says that if she were to discuss her political views, particularly her belief that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza , she’d be judged by coworkers and customers or face even worse consequences. “I feel like I could be fired,” she says.
When politics comes up at work, Gonzalez stays mum. “I feel the need to sort of put on a mask and not necessarily agree with them or show them any kind of support, but at the same time not express my own opinion so that I don’t make anyone uncomfortable or make anyone look at me differently,” she says…