Transgender employee wins 10-year battle with Hobby Lobby

Meggan Sommerville is a transgender employee who worked for the retail chain Hobby Lobby's East Aurora branch. Sommerville was barred from using the women's restroom at her workplace for 10 years because she was a trans person. As a result of this, she faced a multitude of issues starting from having to leave work and go to the fast-food restaurant across the street to use the restroom, restricting her water intake, suffering from dehydration and muscle cramps among other things.

On August 13th, the Illinois Appellate Court rejected Hobby Lobby's argument that a person's gender is determined by their anatomy. The court's decision enables Sommerville to use the women's bathroom. Sommerville can also pursue $220,000 in damages awarded by the Illinois Human Rights Act because Hobby Lobby violated this Act by discriminating based on gender in the workplace. 

Source: Chicago Tribune