Walnut Creek Interview Began Transgender Case

A case with national implications emerged from a Walnut Creek job interview that led to a decision of employment discrimination that targeted a transgender person.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on April 20 ruled unanimously in favor of Mia Macy, who was seeking a job with the office of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Walnut Creek. A ballistics expert, Macy was represented by the Transgender Law Center in San Francisco. It's the first time the national commission has clarified that transgender people are covered by sex discrimination statues, said Transgender Law Center Director Masen Davis, according to KCBS.

Macy presented herself as a man when she interviewed for a job with the ATF in Walnut Creek. She was offered a position as long as she could pass a background check. A few months later, she informed the civilian contractor who would officially hire her for ATF work that she was transitioning from male to female, according to Jacob Combs in an article for Prop8TrialTracker. Five days later, she got the news that the position was no longer available, Combs reported.