B. Scott Loses BET Lawsuit

I saw this coming back in August when I took a lot of criticism for questioning the timing of B.Scott's 'I'm transgender' declaration.

As you recall, that declaration happened just as a multimillion dollar discrimination lawsuit was filed against BET by Scott for forcing her to change into masculine clothing and later dropping her from the telecast during last July's BET Awards show.

A suit that B. Scott has lost.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Yvette M Palazuelos ruled Thursday that BET had the right to force Scott to change to more masculine attire.

Will have to chat with my attorney friends to see if the troubling vibe I got from Thursday's ruling is something to be concerned about as a trans human rights advocate. 

But as you probably guessed, B.Scott and her attorney are disappointed in the outcome and will appeal it.

It disheartens me that the message sent today wasn’t a message of acceptance, but rather it’s acceptable to discriminate against transgender individuals on the basis of their gender identity and expression  – and that such discriminatory acts are protected under the first amendment.

As my attorney and I seek to appeal the judge’s decision on the motion to strike in the California Court of Appeal, we’re continuing to fight for the rights of the LGBTQ community and to remind the world that it’s ok to be who you are.

I believe the fact B.Scott only made the trans declaration AFTER the July 2013 BET incident and had a long documented history of writings, video blogs and statements denying trans status may have possibly played a role into yesterday's decision by Judge Palazuelos.  

As I said in last August's post, the saga continues.