Here’s the scoop from the Lesbian/Gay Law Notes’ article, “6th Circuit Rejects Sex-Stereotyping Suit Under Title VII as ‘Bootstrap’ Attempt”:

The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals has held that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 cannot be the basis for a sexual orientation discrimination lawsuit, even if the complaint is couched in the terminology of gender stereotyping discrimination. Vickers v. Fairfield Medical Center, 453 F.3d 757 (July 19, 2006), affirmed a summary dismissal of the lawsuit by the federal court for the Southern District of Ohio.

These are some of the shocking facts of the case:

Christopher Vickers was a private police officer at Fairfield Medical Center (FMC) in Lancaster, Ohio. Vickers’ fellow officers found out that Vickers had become friendly with an openly gay doctor at FMC, and had gone on vacation to Florida with a male friend. The fellow officers, Kory Dixon and John Mueller, started relentlessly harassing Vickers, and some incidents were witnessed, and one even photographed, by their supervisor, Police Chief Steve Anderson. From May 2002 through March 2003, Dixon and Mueller did such things as imprinting the word “fag” on Vickers’ report forms, disparaging Vickers’ sexual preferences and activities, calling Vickers a “fag” and “gay,” subjecting Vickers to vulgar gestures, placing irritants and chemicals in Vickers’ food, using the nickname “Kiss” for Vickers, suggesting that Vickers should provide them with sexual favors, and, in one instance, handcuffing Vickers while simulating sex with him, while the supervisor took pictures. A photograph of that incident circulated widely at the hospital.

To learn more about this case, see page 9 of the Lesbian/Gay Law Notes (banner to the right) in the September ’06 issue.

Jen also blogs at Transcending Gender and A Life Less Convenient. Her book is available here.