A Transgender Woman and Assisted Living Home Reach Settlement in Discrimination Case
A transgender woman who was discriminated against by a Jonesport assisted living home has reached a settlement with the company that runs the home, her attorneys said Monday.
The Maine Human Rights Commission ruled in March that Sunrise Assisted Living discriminated against Marie King, 79, when the facility denied her a bed because she requested a room with a female roommate. Now the company that runs Sunrise and eight other homes in Maine has agreed to adopt a policy to prevent future discrimination against transgender people.
King’s attorneys say her settlement marks the first time in the U.S. that an assisted living facility for older adults has agreed to make such changes following a complaint from a transgender person. King’s filing to the Human Rights Commission, and the agency’s decision, also were unprecedented in the United States, Kings’ attorneys said.
