A federal judge in Amarillo ruled protections for transgender employees laid out by the Biden Administration go too far. The ruling is tied to a lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Local advocates say the decision is a blow to the trans community.
Leslie McMurray shares painful memories from when she came out as a transgender woman.
“I was terminated the day I came out. I lost my job, I lost my career,” she said.
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McMurray is now Transgender Education and Advocacy Associate for The Resource Center in Dallas. She said the recent ruling by the Texas judge is disturbing.
A 2020 Supreme Court ruling found that employers could not discriminate based on many factors including sexual orientation and gender identity. But the ruling coming from the Northern District of Texas says those protections do not extend to what's called "correlated conduct" such as the use of bathrooms, clothing, and pronouns.
“If you live as a transgender person, those correlating activities such as being addressed in a respectful way or being allowed to use the restroom as anyone would be, certainly we're being singled out,” said McMurray.
TRANSGENDER RIGHTS
The ruling is a win for AG Paxton who filed the lawsuit questioning guidance from the Equal Opportunity Commission.
At the time of the suit, Paxton released a statement that reads in part.
“This guidance requires employers to allow exceptions on the usage of bathrooms, locker rooms, showers, dress codes and even personal pronouns based upon the subjective gender identities of their employees. This unlawful guidance increases the scope of liability for all employers, including the state of Texas in its capacity as an employer."
“They're saying just simple kindness toward another human being can be disregarded and someone can be exposed to that every single day,” McMurray said.
McMurray is certain the ruling will be challenged.
