Sixth Circuit Decision: Title VII Protects Transgender Workers

On March 7, the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit issued an opinion in EEOC v. R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes, Inc. holding that discrimination based on transgender status and transitioning identity is sex discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The case concerns Aimee Stephens, a funeral director at R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes, Inc., who was terminated after informing owner Thomas Rost that she intended to transition from male to female. Stephens filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and after an investigation, the EEOC brought suit against the funeral home for unlawful sex discrimination in violation of Title VII. The district court granted summary judgment to the funeral home, and this appeal followed.