EEOC seeks to drop transgender discrimination cases, citing Trump's executive order
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/eeoc-seeks-to-drop-transgender-discrimination-cases-citing-trump-s-executive-order/ar-AA1z8il5?ocid=windirect&cvid=79ba3ab162b04aff9c5785b7e59683a0&ei=53
Story by Claire Savage and Alexandra Olson (15 Feb 2025)
Signaling a major shift in civil rights enforcement, the federal agency that enforces workplace anti-discrimination laws has moved to dismiss six of its own cases on behalf of workers alleging gender identity discrimination, arguing that the cases now conflict with President Trump's recent executive order, court documents say.
Just last year, the EEOC updated its guidance to specify that deliberately using the wrong pronouns for an employee, or refusing them access to bathrooms corresponding with their gender identity, constituted a form of harassment. That followed a 2020 Supreme Court ruling that gay, lesbian and transgender people are protected from employment discrimination.
Nearly all workplace discrimination charges must pass through the EEOC — at least initially — and the agency's decision to drop at least six of the cases raises serious questions about whether its protections will continue to extend to transgender and gender nonconforming people going forward.
The EEOC is seeking to dismiss three cases in Illinois as well as one in Alabama, New York and California. In each instance, the original complaints allege discrimination against transgender or gender nonconforming workers. The agency cites Trump's Jan. 20 executive order declaring that the government would recognize only two "immutable" sexes — male and female — as the reason for why it no longer intends to pursue the cases.