WATCH: Pa. Trans Woman Sues Former Employer

More than seven years after Katie Lynn Blatt says she was fired from her job at sporting goods store Cabela's, she's filing a federal lawsuit alleging antitrans discrimination.

Sunnivie Brydum

Sunnivie is the managing editor of The Advocate, and an award-winning journalist whose passion is covering the politics of equality and elevating the unheard stories of our community. Originally from Colorado, she and her spouse now live in Los Angeles, along with their three fur-children: dogs Luna and Cassie Doodle, and "Meow Button" Tilly.

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Sunnivie Brydum

September 06 2014 2:25 PM EST

March 15 2019 3:29 AM EST

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A transgender woman in Pennsylvania has filed a federal lawsuit against her former employer, alleging that sporting goods store Cabela's discriminated against her and ultimately fired her because of her gender identity, according to Allentown, Pa., TV station WFMZ.

Kate Lynn Blatt began working a Tilden Township Cabela's around the time she first came out as transgender in 2005. She alleges that management was outright hostile to her, fighting her on everything from the right to wear a gender-appropriate uniform, to having a name tag that reflected her true identity, to being able to use the women's restroom. The lawsuit contends that even after Blatt updated her gender marker on her driver's license, her employer still refused to allow her to use the women's restroom, according to WFMZ. Blatt was terminated in March 2007, according to the local news station.

"It never let up, they never stopped, and it prevented me from expressing who I was," Blatt told WFMZ. "It was still refused and thrown in my face, even after I had provided all the documentation and proved my case."

While Pennsylvania does not have legislation in place that explicitly protects transgender individuals from such workplace discrimination, a number of federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission decisions have fallen in favor of transgender employees. In June, the EEOC determined that Blatt did indeed have a case against the sporting goods chain, pointing to Blatt's claims that her employer subjected her to visual and medical "testing" to determine her gender.