Judge refuses to toss transgender woman's claim

ATLANTA - A federal judge has cleared the way for a discrimination lawsuit by a filed by a former state employee who claimed she was fired because she was undergoing a sex-change procedure.

U.S. District Judge Richard W. Story on Friday denied an attempt by Georgia legislators to dismiss the lawsuit on grounds that it could lead to a new round of court scrutiny of public employees.

Vandy Beth Glenn claimed in the complaint that she was fired from her job as a legislative editor for the General Assembly because she told her boss she was going to live as a woman full time.

Lambda Legal, which filed the lawsuit, said Story's decision is a signal that the state Legislature can be challenged ``for violating her constitutional rights.''

http://accesswdun.com/article/2009/6/221429