The Missouri Court of Appeals Western District ruled on Tuesday that discrimination based on sex stereotypes is a legal basis for a sex discrimination lawsuit.
The court says the state law allows people to sue for sex discrimination if they believe they were treated unfairly because they didn’t conform to stereotypes of gender-based behavior.
The Missouri law doesn’t prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
A gay man sued in 2014 claiming he was discriminated against at his job because he didn’t conform to his bosses’ beliefs about how males should behave. A female coworker claimed she was discriminated against because she was associated with the man.
Yesterday’s ruling says a person’s sexual orientation is not relevant if the discrimination is based on sexual stereotypes.
