James works for Lindenwood Pharmaceuticals in St. Charles, Missouri. James currently serves as the Regional Director of Sales for the Midwest region of the United States. James has been recognized by management for good performance many times. James began his employment as a district sales account representative and was promoted 3 times before reaching his present title of Regional Director. James is gay, but his employer never knew about James's sexual orientation until James recently married his partner and listed his partner on his health insurance coverage. Hector is later terminated. The reason for James's termination is poor performance. James claims he was fired because he is gay, and says he can prove that his boss's attitude towards him changed when he learned James was gay, and that his boss sent a derogatory e-mail about James and homosexuals to other managers after he learned of James's marriage to his partner. The Human Resource Manager for Lindenwood explained that while James had previously enjoyed a good reputation at Lindenwood, his performance over the past 12 months became unsatisfactory, as was shown by a substantial decline in sales in the Midwest region and a loss of three successful sales account managers who complained of James's management style. James wants to sue Lindenwood Pharmaceuticals for employment discrimination. Explain James's chances for success in pursuing a claim for discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act under the developing case law.