Pree Alert! Steven Chizen was quoted in the San Francisco Chronicle regarding discrimination based on gender identity at a local spa:
"Under both the Unruh Civil Rights Act and an analogous San Francisco ordinance, a business establishment cannot selectively welcome some women over other women based on their identity or appearance just because of a guest’s cultural or religious beliefs, said Steven Chizen, an Oakland attorney.
Although some courts have allowed limited exceptions to the Unruh Civil Rights Act for sincerely held religious beliefs, those are unlikely to apply here since the business itself is not a religious institution and therefore not entitled to ban transgender women on the basis of religion, Chizen said.
'California courts, along with the California Civil Rights Department, have stated for many years now that women’s locker rooms must be open to transgender women, and that the privacy concerns do not outweigh the important anti-discrimination protections,' said Chizen. 'This scenario is likely no different.'"
See the full article here.
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