R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Issues
Does Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibit discrimination against transgender individuals, either as a form of sex discrimination or as impermissible “sex stereotyping” under Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins?
This case asks the Supreme Court to decide whether the prohibition of sex-based discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 also extends to discrimination based on gender identity. Harris Funeral Homes (“Harris Homes”) terminated Aimee Stephens’s employment shortly after Stephens informed Harris Homes that she was transgender. Harris Homes and the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission (“EEOC”) take the position that Stephens’s termination was not discriminatory because her termination was premised upon her refusal to follow Harris Homes’s sex-specific and strictly applied dress code. Stephens counters that her dismissal was impermissible under Title VII because the decision to fire her was based on her sex and general principles of “sex stereotyping.” The Supreme Court’s decision will have implications for the wellbeing of transgender employees and for the religious interests of employers.
Questions as Framed for the Court by the Parties
Whether Title VII prohibits discrimination against transgender people based on (1) their status as transgender or (2) sex stereotyping under Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins.
From October 2007 to August 2013, Aimee Stephens was employed as a funeral director for R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes (“Harris Homes”), a for-profit corporation operating funeral homes in Michigan. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. R.G. & G.R.
Written by
Edited by
The authors would like to thank Professor Michael C. Dorf for his guidance and insights into this case.
Additional Resources
- Adam Liptak, Supreme Court to Decide Whether Landmark Civil Rights Law Applies to Gay and Transgender Workers, The New York Times (April 22, 2019).
- Nicole Russell, Justice Department Takes Controversial Stand on Transgender Case at Supreme Court, Washington Examiner (August 26, 2019).
- Marcia Coyle, Does This Anti-Discrimination Law Protect LGBTQ Workers? 3 Cases Ask Supreme Court to Decide, PBS News Hour (September 12, 2019).