Aimee Stephens, the plaintiff at the center of the U.S. Supreme Court's first case involving transgender rights, has died at 59. Stephens's case was argued before SCOTUS with two other LGBTQ rights cases in October, but the court has not yet ruled. Stephens's death will not affect the case's status.
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The New York Times reports: “She died from complications related to kidney failure, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, which represented Ms. Stephens. Ms. Stephens had been on dialysis for some time and entered hospice care in late April, according to the A.C.L.U. Donna Stephens, Aimee Stephens's wife, thanked supporters in a statement for their ‘kindness, generosity, and keeping my best friend and soul mate in your thoughts and prayers.'”
The ACLU on Stephens' case: “Aimee Stephens had worked for nearly six years as a funeral director at R.G. and G.R. Harris Funeral Homes when she informed the funeral home's owner that she is a transgender woman. Her employer fired her, and the EEOC sued on her behalf. The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Aimee's employer engaged in unlawful sex discrimination when it fired her because she's transgender. R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes is asking the Supreme Court to review the case. The ACLU represents Aimee Stephens.”
