Post by Ayla on Apr 9, 2016 14:52:18 GMT 8
www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index.ssf/2016/04/transgender_professor_files_se.html
SAGINAW, MI — A transgender adjunct professor at Saginaw Valley State University has filed a federal lawsuit against the school that alleges she was fired from her administrative position because of her gender transition.
Charin Davenport on Friday, April 8, filed the complaint in U.S. District Court in Detroit through her attorney, Jennifer Salvatore.
While Davenport, who began presenting as a female in March 2014, still remains an adjunct English professor at the university in Saginaw County, she also served as the assistant to the director of Academic Programs Support until December 2013, when university officials eliminated that position, "allegedly for budgetary reasons," the lawsuit claims.
Transgender prof at Saginaw Valley State, Delta College says Saginaw's delay on LGBT ordinance 'denying I exist'
Davenport said she doesn't believe people should have to fight to have civil rights. Instead, they should just have them, she said.
SVSU's "decision to remove Ms. Davenport from her administrative position was motivated by sex-based considerations," the new lawsuit alleges. "The effect of (SVSU's) conduct has been to deprive Ms. Davenport of equal employment opportunities and otherwise adversely affect her status as an employee because of her sex."
Davenport, a Hazel Park resident, alleges violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution. She is asking the court to reinstate her to her former position and seeking financial damages from a jury.
SVSU spokesman J.J. Boehm said the university "does not tolerate discrimination of any kind" and that school officials are "confident that we will prevail in court as all the facts come out."
"We support all our students, faculty and staff, including those who are members of the LGBT community," Boehm said. "We have a Pride Center on campus to serve those individuals and to contribute toward an inclusive campus environment. Since this is pending litigation, we can have no further comment at this time."
Related: SVSU adds gender identity to its nondiscrimination policy
Salvatore, a partner at the Northville-based Salvatore Prescott firm, "has a particular interest in sex discrimination cases," according to the firm's website.
"Discrimination against people who don't conform to traditional gender stereotypes is a form of sex discrimination under the law," Salvatore stated in a press release. "No human being should be vilified and denigrated the way Char was by her supervisor, let alone lose their job because of who they are. She is a wonderful person with a lot of courage to speak out about what happened to her."
The lawsuit also lists as a defendant Davenport's now-former supervisor, Ann Coburn-Collins, the director of Academic Programs Support.
Davenport, born Charles Davenport, began teaching at SVSU in 2007, the lawsuit states. She also worked as the coordinator of SVSU's Academic Tutoring Services from August 2011 until July 2012, when she was appointed to the assistant job that officials ultimately eliminated, the lawsuit states.
Davenport received positive reviews from Coburn-Collins prior to her transition, including one in May 2013, or about five months before she informed Coburn-Collins and SVSU administration that she was undergoing a gender transition, the lawsuit states.
Coburn-Collins, the lawsuit alleges, "responded to the news of Davenport's transition by stating, 'It's my fault. I should have given you that full-time job so you wouldn't have had so much free time."
Davenport and Coburn-Collins were "close colleagues," the lawsuit states. That included Davenport often house-sitting for Coburn-Collins, the lawsuit states. Following Davenport's disclosure of the transition, Coburn-Collins "stopped talking to her or even acknowledging her in public places," the lawsuit states.
Coburn-Collins informed Davenport of the elimination of her position about two months after the disclosure, the lawsuit states. "A few months later," Davenport went to her former supervisor's office to discuss the elimination of the position, the lawsuit states.
Coburn-Collins, the lawsuit alleges, told Davenport, "You're a liar. You lied to me, to your family, to your friends, to this university, and to everyone you know. Your entire life is just one big lie." The lawsuit alleges that Coburn-Collins then yelled at Davenport, "You disgust me. I can't even stand to look at you. This is not about your so-called 'gender identity.' This is about you being a liar."
Coburn-Collins threw an object at Davenport as she yelled, the lawsuit alleges.
"Based on this conversation," the lawsuit states, "it was clear to Davenport why her administrative position had been eliminated."
SAGINAW, MI — A transgender adjunct professor at Saginaw Valley State University has filed a federal lawsuit against the school that alleges she was fired from her administrative position because of her gender transition.
Charin Davenport on Friday, April 8, filed the complaint in U.S. District Court in Detroit through her attorney, Jennifer Salvatore.
While Davenport, who began presenting as a female in March 2014, still remains an adjunct English professor at the university in Saginaw County, she also served as the assistant to the director of Academic Programs Support until December 2013, when university officials eliminated that position, "allegedly for budgetary reasons," the lawsuit claims.
Transgender prof at Saginaw Valley State, Delta College says Saginaw's delay on LGBT ordinance 'denying I exist'
Davenport said she doesn't believe people should have to fight to have civil rights. Instead, they should just have them, she said.
SVSU's "decision to remove Ms. Davenport from her administrative position was motivated by sex-based considerations," the new lawsuit alleges. "The effect of (SVSU's) conduct has been to deprive Ms. Davenport of equal employment opportunities and otherwise adversely affect her status as an employee because of her sex."
Davenport, a Hazel Park resident, alleges violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution. She is asking the court to reinstate her to her former position and seeking financial damages from a jury.
SVSU spokesman J.J. Boehm said the university "does not tolerate discrimination of any kind" and that school officials are "confident that we will prevail in court as all the facts come out."
"We support all our students, faculty and staff, including those who are members of the LGBT community," Boehm said. "We have a Pride Center on campus to serve those individuals and to contribute toward an inclusive campus environment. Since this is pending litigation, we can have no further comment at this time."
Related: SVSU adds gender identity to its nondiscrimination policy
Salvatore, a partner at the Northville-based Salvatore Prescott firm, "has a particular interest in sex discrimination cases," according to the firm's website.
"Discrimination against people who don't conform to traditional gender stereotypes is a form of sex discrimination under the law," Salvatore stated in a press release. "No human being should be vilified and denigrated the way Char was by her supervisor, let alone lose their job because of who they are. She is a wonderful person with a lot of courage to speak out about what happened to her."
The lawsuit also lists as a defendant Davenport's now-former supervisor, Ann Coburn-Collins, the director of Academic Programs Support.
Davenport, born Charles Davenport, began teaching at SVSU in 2007, the lawsuit states. She also worked as the coordinator of SVSU's Academic Tutoring Services from August 2011 until July 2012, when she was appointed to the assistant job that officials ultimately eliminated, the lawsuit states.
Davenport received positive reviews from Coburn-Collins prior to her transition, including one in May 2013, or about five months before she informed Coburn-Collins and SVSU administration that she was undergoing a gender transition, the lawsuit states.
Coburn-Collins, the lawsuit alleges, "responded to the news of Davenport's transition by stating, 'It's my fault. I should have given you that full-time job so you wouldn't have had so much free time."
Davenport and Coburn-Collins were "close colleagues," the lawsuit states. That included Davenport often house-sitting for Coburn-Collins, the lawsuit states. Following Davenport's disclosure of the transition, Coburn-Collins "stopped talking to her or even acknowledging her in public places," the lawsuit states.
Coburn-Collins informed Davenport of the elimination of her position about two months after the disclosure, the lawsuit states. "A few months later," Davenport went to her former supervisor's office to discuss the elimination of the position, the lawsuit states.
Coburn-Collins, the lawsuit alleges, told Davenport, "You're a liar. You lied to me, to your family, to your friends, to this university, and to everyone you know. Your entire life is just one big lie." The lawsuit alleges that Coburn-Collins then yelled at Davenport, "You disgust me. I can't even stand to look at you. This is not about your so-called 'gender identity.' This is about you being a liar."
Coburn-Collins threw an object at Davenport as she yelled, the lawsuit alleges.
"Based on this conversation," the lawsuit states, "it was clear to Davenport why her administrative position had been eliminated."