The
Library
of
Congress
rescinded
its
offer
to
hire
a
decorated
Army
combat
veteran
who
headed
an
elite
anti-terrorism
unit
after
it
learned
the
retired
colonel
was
in
the
process
of
changing
genders
from
male
to
female.
Diane
J.
Schroer,
49,
who
served
in
the
U.S.
Army
for
25
years
as
David
Schroer,
filed
suit
on
June
2
in
federal
court
in
D.C.,
charging
the
Library
of
Congress
with
engaging
in
sex
discrimination
in
violation
of
Title
VII
of
the
1964
Civil
Rights
Act.
The
lawsuit
says
the
Congressional
Research
Service
acknowledged
Schroer’s
qualifications
by
offering
her
a
job
as
a
terrorism
research
analyst
before
rescinding
the
offer
last
December
on
grounds
that
she
would
not
be
a
“good
fit”
at
the
CRS,
which
is
an
arm
of
the
Library
of
Congress.
“After
risking
my
life
for
more
than
25
years
for
my
country,
I’ve
been
told
I’m
not
worthy
of
the
freedoms
I
worked
so
hard
to
protect,”
Schroer
said.
“All
I’m
asking
is
to
be
judged
by
my
abilities
rather
than
my
gender.”
Helen
Dalrymple,
a
spokesperson
for
the
Library
of
Congress,
said
the
library
has
no
comment
on
the
case.
However,
she
confirmed
a
statement
by
Bob
Dardano,
co-chair
of
the
Library
of
Congress’s
gay
employee
group,
that
several
transgender
employees
currently
work
at
the
library.
“We
don’t
discriminate,”
she
said,
when
asked
if
the
library
has
a
policy
on
hiring
transgendered
persons.
Schroer
received
decorations
and
awards
during
a
distinguished
military
career
that
included
service
in
several
of
the
Army’s
elite
units,
including
the
Armored
Cavalry,
Airborne,
Special
Forces,
and
Special
Operations
Units.
Schroer
served
in
combat
operations
in
Panama
in
1989
and
Haiti
in
1994.
After
completing
duties
in
Haiti,
Schroer
was
named
commander
of
the
3rd
Battalion
of
the
3rd
Special
Forces
Airborne
Group
at
Fort
Bragg,
N.C.,
the
lawsuit
says.
In
1997,
Schroer
was
assigned
to
the
U.S.
Special
Operations
Command,
which
plans,
directs,
and
executes
anti-terrorism
operations
throughout
the
world,
the
lawsuit
says.
After
the
Sept.
11,
2001
terrorist
attacks,
Army
officials
assigned
Schroer
to
the
post
of
director
of
a
120-person
top
secret
unit
that
tracks
and
targets
international
terrorist
organizations.
Schroer’s
duties
included
giving
personal
briefings
to
Vice
President
Dick
Cheney,
Secretary
of
Defense
Donald
Rumsfeld,
and
the
chair
of
the
Joint
Chiefs
of
Staff
for
the
U.S.
Armed
Forces,
the
lawsuit
says.
Schroer
retired
from
the
military
in
2004
at
the
rank
of
colonel
and
moved
to
the
D.C.
area
to
work
for
a
consulting
firm
that
conducts
anti-terrorism
and
homeland
security
work
for
the
government.
“We
take
the
position
that
discrimination
against
transgendered
persons
is
sex
discrimination,”
said
Sharon
McGowan,
an
attorney
with
the
ACLU’s
Gay
&
Lesbian
Rights
Project,
which
is
representing
Schroer.
Arthur
Spitzer,
legal
director
of
the
ACLU’s
D.C.
office,
which
is
assisting
McGowan
on
the
case,
said
the
ACLU
is
hopeful
but
uncertain
whether
the
U.S.
District
Court
for
the
District
of
Columbia
will
rule
that
transgender
discrimination
is
a
form
of
sex
discrimination.
The
lawsuit
also
charges
that
the
Library
of
Congress’s
decision
to
deny
the
job
to
Schroer
violates
the
due
process
and
equal
protection
clauses
of
the
Fifth
Amendment
of
the
U.S.
Constitution.
Schroer
entered
the
job
application
and
interview
process
as
David
Schroer,
and
dressed
as
a
male.
She
did
not
inform
officials
of
her
plans
to
change
her
gender
until
after
she
was
offered
the
job,
the
lawsuit
says.
After
being
offered
the
job,
Schroer
said
she
invited
her
newly
designated
supervisor,
CRS
official
Charlotte
Preece,
to
lunch
to
discuss
final
details
of
her
job.
It
was
at
that
time
that
Schroer
informed
Preece
that
she
planned
to
begin
work
two
weeks
later
as
Diane
Schroer.
