Former army commander was interviewed and offered job as a man but tells supervisor he’s becoming a woman
A transgendered person in the United States has gone to court after a government job offer was rescinded.
Diane Schroer, 52, applied and was interviewed for a job at the Library of Congress’s Congressional Research Service in 2004. When she interviewed, she was living as a man named David. Impressed by Schroer’s resume that included seven years in the U.S. army’s special forces command followed by a position as director of an organization that tracked international terrorists, the Library of Congress offered her the job.
After the offer was made, Schroer went to lunch with her would-be supervisor. At the meeting, she told the supervisor she was undergoing operations to become a woman. She showed pictures of herself dressed as a woman to ease any concerns about what she would wear to work.
At the end of the lunch, the supervisor told Schroer she had “given me a lot to think about” and the next day called her to say she wasn’t “a good fit.”
Schroer filed a sex discrimination case under the U.S. Civil Rights Act in 2005, demanding the job be offered to her again plus damages.
The Library of Congress said the job offer was rescinded because it needed to fill the position quickly and Schroer’s transgender status would result in more time to make a background check for security clearance. It also said Schroer’s contacts with military intelligence and her credibility with Congress might suffer because of her transition to a female.
The case is being heard in U.S. District court and it may have to determine whether the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on gender identity.
Diane Schroer, 52, applied and was interviewed for a job at the Library of Congress’s Congressional Research Service in 2004. When she interviewed, she was living as a man named David. Impressed by Schroer’s resume that included seven years in the U.S. army’s special forces command followed by a position as director of an organization that tracked international terrorists, the Library of Congress offered her the job.
After the offer was made, Schroer went to lunch with her would-be supervisor. At the meeting, she told the supervisor she was undergoing operations to become a woman. She showed pictures of herself dressed as a woman to ease any concerns about what she would wear to work.
At the end of the lunch, the supervisor told Schroer she had “given me a lot to think about” and the next day called her to say she wasn’t “a good fit.”
Schroer filed a sex discrimination case under the U.S. Civil Rights Act in 2005, demanding the job be offered to her again plus damages.
The Library of Congress said the job offer was rescinded because it needed to fill the position quickly and Schroer’s transgender status would result in more time to make a background check for security clearance. It also said Schroer’s contacts with military intelligence and her credibility with Congress might suffer because of her transition to a female.
The case is being heard in U.S. District court and it may have to determine whether the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on gender identity.
