Sixth Circuit: Transgender and Transitioning Status Discrimination Prohibited Under Title VII
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APPLIES TO Employers with MI, OH, KY, and TN Employees |
EFFECTIVE March 7, 2018 |
QUESTIONS? Contact HR On-Call |
On March 7, 2018, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals became the first federal appeals court to state that transgender and transitioning employees are protected under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on specific protected categories. Further, the circuit court stated that “sincerely held religious beliefs” do not shield employers from Title VII discrimination claims.
In Hively v. Ivy Tech Community College, hearing the case en banc, the Seventh Circuit became the first federal court of appeals to determine that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is a form of sex discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The court stated that “it is impossible to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation without discriminating on the basis of sex.”