Karen Frances Ulane; Pilot Fired After Sex-Change Surgery

Karen Frances Ulane, 48, a decorated Vietnam combat pilot who was fired by Eastern Airlines after a sex-change operation in 1980. Ulane, known as Kenneth Ulane until her surgery, had the sex-change operation and hormone treatments in 1980 after 12 years with Eastern. The airline fired her, citing possible safety hazards in stressful situations. U.S. District Judge John F. Grady ordered reinstatement and $158,590 in back pay and other expenses in 1983, saying the 1964 federal anti-discrimination law protects transsexuals. An appeals court disagreed and reversed the decision, and the U.S. Supreme Court in 1985 let the appellate ruling stand. Ulane eventually received a settlement from Eastern that was “substantially more” than the amount ordered by Grady, said her attorney, Dean Dickie. As Kenneth Ulane, she flew combat missions in Vietnam from 1964 to 1968, winning numerous medals and honors. On May 22 in the crash of her World War II vintage charter plane near De Kalb, Ill.