Terminated employee wins transgender bias lawsuit in landmark SCOTUS decision

Seven years after an employee was fired for coming out as transgender, her employer is finally paying to settle the lawsuit, after SCOTUS’s landmark ruling back in June.

The Supreme Court decided that transgender discrimination is prohibited by the Civil Rights Act. Here’s a reminder of the case.

Fired for transition

Back in 2013, Aimee Stephens worked for R.G. and G.R. Harris Funeral Homes as a funeral director when she announced she’d be transitioning from male to female.

Upon this announcement, Stephens told her bosses she’d be dressing in women’s clothing and would like to be called Aimee.

It wasn’t long before the funeral home fired Stephens, making it no secret that her termination was due to her transition. Stephens sued, claiming sex discrimination.

A lengthy legal battle ensued, with several courts disagreeing over whether transgender discrimination went against the Civil Rights Act. Back in June, SCOTUS finally ruled in on this issue, equating transgender discrimination with sex discrimination – which the Civil Rights Act prohibits.

The funeral home will pay $250,000 to settle this lawsuit, seven long years later.

Cite: EEOC v. R.G. and G.R. Harris Funeral Homes, 12/1/20.