The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission believes that discrimination based on LGBT status amounts to sex discrimination. Sex discrimination is unlawful under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
However, some recent comments imply that the EEOC’s position on LGBT rights at work may change.
Like, how about a full 180? Continue reading
On the same day that President Donald Trump tweeted that the military should ban transgender people from serving, the U.S. Department of Justice doubled down. That is, in a pleading filed yesterday in a federal appellate court, the United States of America revealed its position that our federal laws that protect against discrimination at work do not apply to gay employees.
Suffice it to say, yesterday was not a good day for the LGBT community. Continue reading
That according to Lambda Legal, a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of the LGBT community.
Most notably, HR Dive interviewed me on supporting transgender employees at work during their transition!!! Continue reading
Yeah, that’s basically it. Keep calm and carry on. Continue reading
The trailblazing Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals achieved a monumental result. And it only took 53 years after the enactment of Title VII of the Civil Right Act of 1964.
Below, I have a breakdown of yesterday’s historic decision in Hively v. Ivy Tech Community College.
It was déjà vu all over again yesterday.
In its much anticipated decision in Christiansen v. Omnicom Group, Inc. (opinion here), the Second Circuit concluded that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act does not cover discrimination based on sexual orientation.
On Friday, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, generally considered one of the more conservative appellate courts, issued a mixed-bag ruling in a high-profile LGBT-rights case. Continue reading
I received a bunch of reader emails yesterday with requests for future blog posts.
One reader requested a follow-up to yesterday’s post about service animals and the ADA, asking that I address what happens when a service animal causes allergy issues for co-workers. Another reader sought input on heated political discussions at work as a gateway to a real hostile work environment. Both good ideas; I’ll get to them.
Today, however, I want to talk about Gavin Grimm and yesterday’s announcement from the U.S. Supreme Court to send his transgender rights case back to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit for further consideration in light of the guidance document issued by the Department of Education and Department of Justice on February 22, 2017.
Late last month, I blogged here about some smoke signals from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that it may be backpedaling on pursuing discrimination claims on behalf of a transgender employee, in a case where the employer had raised a religious-freedom defense.
Since then, other dominos have fallen, which indicate that the Trump administration is reversing course on transgender rights.
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