A Texas representative this week introduced a proposal that would ban discrimination by state contractors on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, the latest of a handful of bills seeking to expand equal rights protections.
H.B. 582, filed Monday by Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie, would prohibit contractors hired by any state agency from denying employment or firing an individual based on sexual orientation or gender identity and require contractors to adopt a policy prohibiting discrimination on those grounds.
Saks Fifth Avenue Says Trans Identity Is Not Protected
Leyth Jamal, a transgender female, filed a federal lawsuit against Saks Fifth Avenue, claiming she was exposed to a hostile work environment when she was employed there. On December 29, 2014, Saks filed a motion to dismiss the case, arguing that trans identity is not protected under the law. The Department of Justice has recently taken the stance that anti-trans discrimination illegal under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. In 2012, the EEOC also held that transgender discrimination (also known as gender identity discrimination) is unlawful. See Macy v. Department of Justice, EEOC Appeal No. 0120120821 (April 20, 2012). Those agency rulings, however, are not necessarily binding on the court. This case will be one to watch.