The U.S. Department of Justice is suing Southeastern Oklahoma State University, alleging the school in Durant discriminated against a transgender professor and then fired her after she complained.
In a lawsuit filed Monday in federal court in Oklahoma City, the department alleges the university denied assistant professor Rachel Tudor a promotion despite a recommendation from her department chair and other tenured faculty from her department.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement the lawsuit is intended to target "unfair biases and unjust prejudices" against transgender Americans.
Southeastern's President, Sean Burrage, said in a statement the university followed the law and is "confident in its legal position." Burrage declined to discuss the matter further, citing the pending lawsuit.
Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt's office will represent the university.
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