Appeals court in the US rules that employers cannot discriminate against transgender people

An appeals court in America ruled earlier this week that discrimination laws that protect against gender-based discrimination also protect transgender people. The landmark case is centred around Aimee Stephens who claimed that the funeral home she worked for in Detroit fired her because she disclosed her intention to transition.

The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the funeral home unlawfully discriminated against her: “Discrimination against employees, either because of their failure to conform to sex stereotypes or their transgender and transitioning status, is illegal under Title VII,” Circuit Judge Karen Nelson Moore wrote. “The unrefuted facts show that the funeral home fired Stephens because she refused to abide by her employer’s stereotypical conception of her sex.

This is the latest case to revolved around Title VII of the Civil Rights Act which forbids gender-based discrimination. In February, the courts also ruled in favour of a skydiver who claimed he was fired for telling a client he was gay. The court ruled that “sexual orientation is a function of sex and, by extension, sexual orientation discrimination is a subset of sex discrimination.”

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