Karen Ulane

Karen Frances Ulane (December 10, 1941 – May 22, 1989) was an American airline pilot who was dismissed by Eastern Airlines after undergoing sex reassignment surgery in 1980. The case Ulane v. Eastern Airlines became the federal legal precedent for transsexual legal status under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

T.R. Buttion, the Senior Vice President of Flight Operations presented her with a letter of termination on April 24, 1981, that read, "It is our belief that the controversial nature of the operation you have undergone will detract from and prevent any flight crew of which you are a part of from operating in the integrated, coordinated fashion that is necessary to attain the highest degree of safety." The letter also noted that other Eastern pilots would refuse to fly with her. Eastern appealed the ruling and it was overturned in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit,

Legacy The case Ulane v. Eastern Airlines set legal precedent in the United States that transgender identities did not fall under the protection of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a standing which remained for decades.