[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 118 (Friday, June 26, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E577]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       CELEBRATING AIMEE STEPHENS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. HALEY M. STEVENS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 26, 2020

  Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in memory of the incredible 
Aimee Stephens, who passed away on May 12 at the age of 59.
  Aimee was born on December 7, 1960, in Fayetteville, N.C. She 
graduated from Mars Hill University in 1984 with a degree in religious 
education and obtained a degree in mortuary science from Fayetteville 
Technical Community College in 1988.
  In 2013, she was fired from her job as a funeral director in suburban 
Detroit after she announced that she would begin living as a woman. 
After filing a complaint against her employer with the federal Equal 
Employment Opportunity Commission, Aimee's case began its long journey 
through the United States court system. In April of 2019, the Supreme 
Court agreed to hear the case on the question of whether the Civil 
Rights Act of 1964 protects transgender people from workplace 
discrimination.
  On June 15, 2020, shortly after Aimee's passing, the Court ruled that 
the Civil Rights Act protects gay, lesbian, and transgender employees 
from discrimination based on sex. The ruling was 6-3, with Justice Neil 
Gorsuch writing the majority opinion.
  Aimee's story is one of courage and fortitude. We owe her immense 
gratitude for her bravery in standing up for the equal rights of the 
L.G.B.T.Q. community nationwide. Her sacrifice in the name of progress 
and inclusion will not be forgotten; she will be remembered for her 
enduring hope.
  Aimee spent her final days at her home in Redford Township, Michigan, 
of Congresswoman Tlaib's District. She is survived by her wife, Donna, 
and their daughter, Elizabeth.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in reflecting on the 
remarkable life of Aimee Stephens: a hero in the fight for equal rights 
in America.

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