WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Center for Transgender Equality released the following statement after learning of the death of Aimee Stephens. Stephens was the plaintiff in the first US Supreme Court case about civil rights for transgender people.
“Aimee Stephens is a hero in the fight for equal rights for all people,” said Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality. “Aimee was fired for being transgender, and she chose to stand up for herself and for all transgender people. She took her fight all the way to the US Supreme Court. Aimee was deeply committed to justice and fairness, and an incredible person. She has left us too soon. We send our deepest sympathies to Aimee’s wife, Donna, and to all her friends, families and supporters.”
Stephen’s case, R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, will decide if transgender people are entitled to protections under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. A decision is expected from the US Supreme Court, perhaps as soon as Thursday.
Stephens died today at her home in Michigan. She was 59.
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