GenderLife Forum: The Information Exchange

The below article is in this weeks Washington Blade:

http://www.washblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=19886

Ericka

Well from what little the article states, it would appear she tried to do things right with her employer.

It'll be interesting to see how this one goes for her.

I am curious why Lambda Legal is only filing under the Equal Protection Clause, and not Title VII. Cole Thaler, the Lambda Legal transger rights attorney on this case, is currently successfully pressing a Title VII complaint in Texas for a transgendered woman refused employment. So I know he is not uninformed of it. I sent an email to Lambda Legal and maybe they will explain. I hope so, because I hate being confused.

Well get it straightened out and get back to us, mmmmm?

My current understanding is that the way the laws are structured there, she has no chance of filing, as she would be subject to Ulane.

Georgia is one of the states they can legally fire you for being GLBT. SHOCKING I KNOW

Omygawd things like this really happen well gomer suprise suprise suprise !

I wish that other journalists reported news about transgendered people similarly. While reading the article I said to myself, "self, this has to be a GLBT paper" because they used correct pronouns throughout.

I was actually relieved to find that it's actually an AP article and appears in several papers. I applaud Greg Bluestein, the reporter, for his refreshing lack of sensationalism.

Alas, a little more looking around and I realized that even though many papers carried the story (without edit), some changed the title to something they probably felt more appropriate, that is, degrading and humiliating. They can't miss the opportunity to call her "he." Sigh.

Ulane merely states that the trnasgendered do not enjoy protection as a separate class under Title VII. But a cisgendered man can present as a woman and be protected from discrimintion. So can the transgendered. In otherwords, Title VII seems to provide protection against discrimation on the basis of gender expression, but not gender identity. Here is some supporting law much more recent than the Ulane decision:

http://www.nclrights.org/site/DocServer/fed_gender_nonconformity.pdf?docID=1202

Ms. Glenn's attorney is presently winning a case in Texas under Title VII for a transgendered woman who's job offer was withdrawn. Summary judgment was just denied. Yay!

http://www.lambdalegal.org/our-work/in-court/cases/lopez-v-river-oaks.html