Aimee Stephens, whose civil rights lawsuit was the first case involving transgender civil rights to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court, died yesterday from kidney disease.
The ACLU, which helped Stephens bring her case, said in a statement that Stephens died at her home in Detroit with her wife, Donna Stephens, at her side. She was 59. The couple also has a daughter, Elizabeth.
Stephens was fired from her job as a funeral director in 2013, just after she told her employer she was trans. She had worked in funeral services for nearly three decades and called the field her “ministry.” She had worked for her then-current employer, R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes, for seven years. As she explained in 2018:
The first coworkers I told were ready to support me, which made me feel so much better. A few months later, I handed my boss the letter while sitting in the chapel of the funeral home. It said that after an upcoming vacation, I would start using the name Aimee and following the home’s dress code requirements for women. My boss didn’t say anything at the time.
A couple weeks later, he came up to me and said, “This isn’t going to work.” He handed me a letter with a severance package.
After Aimee was fired, said the ACLU, Donna Stephens, her wife of 18 years, became the sole provider for their family, including Elizabeth, who was in college. They had to sell many possessions in order to make ends meet, and while Aimee eventually found another job, her kidneys then failed and she required dialysis treatments costing $21,000 a week. She did not have medical insurance from an employer, but Medicaid and a foundation began to cover the expenses after the first month.
Aimee sued with the help of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the ACLU. The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that her employer engaged in unlawful sex discrimination when it fired her. The funeral home then asked the Supreme Court to review the case, which it did last fall. The case will continue despite her death.
Chase Strangio, deputy director for Trans Justice with the ACLU’s LGBT & HIV Project and a member of Stephens’ legal team, also said in an e-mailed statement:
Aimee did not set out to be a hero and a trailblazer, but she is one, and our country owes her a debt of gratitude for her commitment to justice for all people and her dedication to our transgender community.
When Aimee decided to fight back after she was fired for being transgender, she just wanted it to be acknowledged that what happened to her was wrong. Being a part of Aimee’s team at the Supreme Court has been one of the proudest moments of my life because of the amazing person behind the case. As a member of her legal team, I am deeply sad for this loss. As a transgender person and an advocate, I am filled with both grief and rage that we have lost an elder far too soon. As we, and millions, carry her work for justice forward, may she rest in power and continue to guide us on this path.
Those who met Aimee know that her power is in her humbleness and sincerity. She has been an inspiration to millions around the world. We mourn with Aimee’s wife Donna, their daughter Elizabeth, and the millions who have been inspired by her.
Donna Stephens also said in that statement, “Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your kindness, generosity, and keeping my best friend and soulmate in your thoughts and prayers. Aimee is an inspiration. She has given so many hope for the future of equality for LGBTQ people in our country, and she has rewritten history. The outpouring of love and support is our strength and inspiration now.”
Here’s a two-minute video with a few more highlights of Aimee’s life and legacy: