Justice Dept. sues Oklahoma university for firing transgender professor

Lauren Coffey | University of Iowa

Southeastern Oklahoma State University is in hot water with the Department of Justice after allegedly firing a professor for transitioning from male to female during her time at the school.

The Justice Department recently announced a lawsuit against Southeastern and the Regional University System of Oklahoma (RUSO) “for violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by discriminating against a transgender employee on the basis of her sex and retaliating against her when she complained about the discrimination.”

Rachel Tudor, an English and Humanities professor at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, presented as a man when she was hired as an assistant professor in 2004. Prior to the 2007-08 school year, she told the university administration that she’d be transitioning. When she applied to the tenured position of associate professor in 2009, her application was denied – overruling, according to the Justice Department filing, “the recommendations of her department chair and other tenured faculty from her department.”

At the end of the 2010-11 academic year, Southeastern and RUSO terminated Tudor’s employment because she had not obtained tenure.

When Tudor was a fired, two petitions went up online: One on Change.org (it closed with 308 supporters) and one on thepetitionsite.com (that one garnered 4,080 signatures).

“I've personally had a class with this women. She is one of the best teachers I have ever had and had planned on taking more classes with her in the future,” former SOSU student Shannon Hutchison wrote on the Change.org petition. “This campus is just teaching the students that it is not okay to be themselves. We may live in the Bible belt, but we do not live in Jerusalem circa 0001 BC.”

Rebekah Herrick, a political science professor at Oklahoma Statesays that Oklahoma does not have friendly policies regarding gender identity. (Same-sex marriage is, however, legal in the state.)

“We’re one of the states when you look at the legal opinion or public polls, same sex (issues) are not on the forefront,” she says. “But I certainly think the opinions of Oklahomans change, whether that’s Oklahomans themselves or it’s just a generational displacement.”

Harper Jean Tobin, the director of Public Policy at the National Center for Transgender Equality, says, “Unfortunately, this type of discrimination is still common in both private and public universities. People are being fired for being transgender across all types of jobs. And professors are essentially being forced out after transitioning.”

However, she adds the Department of Justice filing is a positive first step.

“This sends an important message,” Tobin says. “It says we can advance civil rights of employees as well as students. The case can do this. While we still need a law that gives gender rights explicitly, this (case) says this is unacceptable and there is still recourse.”

SOSU President Sean Burrage, who was not affiliated with the school at the time of Tudor’s termination, said in a statement: “Southeastern Oklahoma State University is committed to diversity and equal employment opportunities. The University is confident in its legal position and its adherence to all applicable employment laws. We will allow the legal system to run its course, while we direct our focus and energy on our top priority, that of educating our students.’’





Lauren Coffey is a junior at the University of Iowa and a USA Today Spring 2015 Collegiate Correspondent.

This story originally appeared on the USA TODAY College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.