93.9 The Eagle – The News and Talk of Columbia, MO
(AP) – The Missouri Supreme Court has extended legal protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in two separate cases dealing with the rights of workers and students.
In one case involving a gay man, the court affirmed Tuesday that Missouri law prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of a worker’s failure to conform to sex-based stereotypes. The court ruled he had a legal basis to sue after claiming he was harassed while working at the Missouri Department of Social Services.
The court also sided with a transgender student in the Blue Springs School District who had been denied access to the boys’ restrooms and locker rooms.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri said in a statement that members of the LGBTQ community should enjoy the same protections against sex-based discrimination as everyone else. It hailed the two decisions as a step toward improving the clarity of Missouri’s anti-discrimination stance.
The ACLU had filed friend-of-the-court briefs in both cases.
