It’s been a long and hard fought battle for transgender B. Scott in his gender identity discrimination case against BET. Scott accused the network of forcing him to wear men’s clothes at the BET Awards last year. Now, after nearly a year in court, it’s been reported that Scott has lost his case.
The drama all began last summer when Scott was asked by BET to be a style correspondent for the red carpet of the BET Awards. Scott has claimed that his original outfit, a flowing tunic, flowing hair, heels and makeup, were all approved by BET in advance. However, after appearing in only one segment of the show, BET pulled Scott from the air and forced him to change to a more masculine outfit.
After filing a lawsuit against the network back in August, things seemed to be moving in Scott’s favor when emails from BET’s president, Stephen Hill, and his staff showed them making disparaging remarks about Scott’s appearance and even trying to cover up the scandal by making him the villain.
But according to TMZ, a judge recently ruled in BET’s favor and dismissed Scott’s lawsuit. The judge ruled that BET has the First Amendment right to control their shows, including the appearance of their hosts, as they see fit.
“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,” Scott told TMZ.
Despite the loss in court, B. Scott’s lawyer plans to appeal the case.
Read what Scott had to say about the loss in court after the cut. –nicholas robinson
