follow me on twitter at bonnie erbe. from terrorism to discrimination.oes title vii the law that protects americans against a variety of forms of discrimination on the job also effect transgender employees? that is at the heart of a confusing legal battle between former saks fifth avenue employee leyth jamal and its parent company hudson bay. the company wants a federal court in texas to dismiss a discrimination lawsuit filed by leyth jamal and the company agrees that title vii does protect all people from sexual discrimination and adds that law does not pertain in this case which is about gender identity and transgender status. jamaal charges she was ordered to stop expressing her gender identity on the job and was called a prostitute in front of store customers. she says she was fired. saks says it's committed to lgbt equality. the justice department and the eeoc announced title vii does indeed cover gender identity. all right. what is going on with saks? i don't get it. they say they are pro lgbtq and drop off the t because by the same token, they are

hello, i'm bonnie erbe. welcome to "to the contrary", a discussion of news and social trends from diverse perspectives. up first, legal wrangling over abortion a federal appeals court heard arguments this week about a hotly contested texas law that could be the new frontier for the abortion rights debate. the law mandates a strict set of building codes for clinics requiring upgrades that could cost millions. pro-life proponents say they're necessary to ensure the safety of women. but pro-choice groups say the clinics do not need the upgrades, can't afford to comply and will close. abortion rights groups claim their opponents are using an underhanded strategy to close clinics and limit access by pretending they are concerned about women's health. fifth circuit judges in new orleans will decide if the law is constitutional. is the new strategy for pro life groups by writing clip particulars upgrade and in effect closing them? >> pretty much bonnie. so far the right has not been able to bring down a constitutio

>> hello, i'm bonnie erbe. welcome to "to the contrary," a discussion of news and social trends from diverse perspectives. up first, the white house pay gap. does president obama practice what he preaches? former hp president and republican presidential candidate carly fiorina reignited that pay equity debate this week. fiorina confronted obama senior adviser valerie jarrett charging that the president is "not paying women equally, by his own measures in his own white house." jarrett refuted the charge saying white house women staffers are paid equally. they're both sort of right. according to white house salary data released last july, the average male staffer earns just more than $88,000 per year while the average woman staffer earns just more than $78,000 per year. the reason, as fiorina referenced, is that men are likely to be in more senior positions: reaction to his comments during state of the union, will it ignite a new debate over pay equity? >> bonnie, i think, bring it on. as long as my republican co