After being denied a
job at the Library of Congress because she was transitioning
from male to female, Diane Schroer has been awarded the maximum
compensation for the discrimination she suffered.
Schroer was awarded
$491,190 for back pay, emotional suffering, and out-of-pocket
expenses, announced the American Civil Liberties Union
-- which represented Schroer in her sex discrimination
case -- on Wednesday. Schroer was
offered a job as a terrorism research analyst
by the Library of Congress in December 2004
, when she was known as David Schroer. But when the
decorated Army veteran told her would-be boss that she was
about to undergo sex-reassignment surgery, the job offer was
revoked. The library argued they had a right to discriminate
against transgender employees. In an earlier ruling in this
case, a court issued a ruling that discriminating against
someone who transitions from living as one gender to another is
discrimination under federal law.
"I served our
country because I believe in an America that is committed to
ensuring everyone has an equal opportunity to have a meaningful
life," Schroer said in a press release. "That belief
was shaken when I was told I wasn't worthy to do what I
trained my entire life to do because I happen to be
transgender. Today's decision restores my faith in our
democracy. The court understood the senseless harm that is
caused by discrimination, and that gives me hope that others
will also."
It's now up to the
government to decide whether or not to appeal the decision.
"Today's
decision is especially gratifying because it puts all employers
on notice that transgender discrimination, in addition to being
wrong, can be very expensive," Sharon McGowan, an attorney
with the ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Project, said in
a statement.
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