Transgendered Woman Wins Sex Discrimination Case

ABC News and a number of other news outlets are reporting on the decision handed down by a federal judge for the D.C. District of the U.S. District Court in favor of a transgender woman who was fired by the Library of Congress after it was discovered that she was transgender. I'm all too sure that the Kool-Aid drinking wingnuts will be quickly bleating about "activist judges" since under their view, only Christianists have legal rights. I believe the Court rendered the correct judgment. The ABC story is also interesting because it details the life and experiences of Diane Schroer, a former Special Forces commander in the U.S. Army (the mere thought of it all must be giving Elaine Donnelly the vapors- or orgasms). While I admit that I cannot fully fathom what it must be like to be transgendered, I do believe that it must easily be far worse than being gay and trying to live as a straight person. I have a number of transgendered clients and without exception they all have expressed their happiness at finally having their bodies match their internal gender. Here are some highlights from the ABC News story:

*

A transgendered woman, who lost a job offer because of her sexual status, has won a potentially groundbreaking federal sex discrimination lawsuit. A federal district court judge in Washington, D.C., ruled today that the Library of Congress discriminated against Diane Schroer when it offered her a job and then rescinded it after learning she was transgendered.

*

Other courts that have considered the issue have said Congress only intended for the anti-discrimination statute to protect men and women, but not people who change their sex, the ACLU said. Robertson disagreed, saying Schroer's case "was discrimination based on sex." It is tremendously gratifying to have your faith in this country, and what is fundamentally right and fair, be reaffirmed," Schroer said. "I very much hope that this ruling will help to eliminate the all-too-pervasive discrimination against sexually nonconforming people in all areas."

*

For more than 25 years, David Schroer was a star in the U.S. Army, rising through the ranks to become a Special Forces commander while leading a classified anti-terrorism unit involved in covert operations. That all changed when Schroer abruptly retired from the military and made a shocking announcement that stunned both his colleagues and family. He would no longer be Col. David Schroer, because he is now Diane Schroer, a transsexual.

*

In a 2005 interview with "20/20" Deborah Roberts, Schroer explained why, after decades of service in one of the most dangerous and macho lines of work, she became a woman. "Does seem a bit of a disconnect," Schroer acknowledged. But, she says, she has struggled with her gender identity -- privately -- since childhood. "Something was different since even before I can remember. I was always enthralled with things the girls were doing. ... Whenever my parents were gone, I would experiment with my mother's makeup. And wondered why I enjoyed doing that ... Wondered why I couldn't carry a purse," Schroer said.

*

Her lawsuit may be precedent-setting, but Dr. George Brown, a military psychiatrist, said Schroer's story is not unique. He said he's treated hundreds of soldiers who are transsexuals. Brown described transsexualism as "a sense that there's been a biological mistake -- that the body doesn't match who you are as a person inside."