Transgender woman wins lawsuit against Georgia Legislature
Wed. July 7, 2010 12:00 AM by GoPride.com News Staff
Atlanta, Ga. -
A transgender woman has won a discrimination lawsuit against the Georgia General Assembly, which fired her after she started to transition from male to female.
Vandy Beth Glenn was known as Glenn Morrison when she was hired as the editor for the State Office of Legislative Counsel in 2005.
The next year, she told her supervisors she was transgender and was going to transition to female.
She was fired a couple years later by the director of the office, Sewell Brumby, who said he was worried about how other people would react.
He also said that lawmakers would view her transition as "immoral."
The judge didn't buy it.
"[A]voiding the anticipated negative reactions of others cannot serve as a sufficient basis for discrimination and does not constitute an important government interest," U.S. District Judge Richard Story wrote.
The judge concluded that Glenn had been the victim of sex discrimination.
There will be a hearing next week to talk about damages.
Vandy Beth Glenn was known as Glenn Morrison when she was hired as the editor for the State Office of Legislative Counsel in 2005.
The next year, she told her supervisors she was transgender and was going to transition to female.
She was fired a couple years later by the director of the office, Sewell Brumby, who said he was worried about how other people would react.
He also said that lawmakers would view her transition as "immoral."
The judge didn't buy it.
"[A]voiding the anticipated negative reactions of others cannot serve as a sufficient basis for discrimination and does not constitute an important government interest," U.S. District Judge Richard Story wrote.
The judge concluded that Glenn had been the victim of sex discrimination.
There will be a hearing next week to talk about damages.