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On August 16, the Supreme Court refused to lift lower court orders blocking the Department of Education’s (DOE) new regulations protecting LGBTQ+ students from discrimination based on gender identity. The new rule expanded the definition of sex-based discrimination under Title IX to protect gender identity and sexual orientation discrimination in federally funded schools. The entire […]
When people think of “diversity and inclusion” (D&I), invariably their minds immediately go to racial and ethnic identity, with gender likely coming in a relatively close second. Indeed, both the presence and the inclusion of women and people of color represent key elements of any D&I strategy; however, the diversity of human beings spans far […]
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently issued a technical assistance document for “Protections Against Employment Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity.” The document briefly explains the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2020 decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, and the agency’s established legal positions on sexual orientation and gender identity-related workplace discrimination […]
An employer wasn’t liable to a former employee who alleged he was terminated because he was transgender, the 5th Circuit recently ruled, upholding a Houston federal district court decision. The appeals court said the former employee failed to allege he was treated differently than cisgender employees. The court’s opinion offers guidance on an emerging area […]
The Equality Act, which would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, passed the U.S. House of Representatives on February 25, but regardless of its chances of ever becoming law, employers are advised to review their policies and practices to guard against discrimination, attorneys who advise employers say.
Within hours of his inauguration on January 20, 2021, President Joe Biden signed an Executive Order (EO) on “Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation.” The order establishes the new administration’s policy prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation and directs federal agencies to take affirmative steps […]
On June 15, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered its landmark decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, and established LGBTQ rights in the workplace as a matter of federal law. The Court squarely held Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 includes a prohibition on sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination in employment.
The Employment Law Question of the Decade is: Does the prohibition against sex-based discrimination include discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation? After countless debates on the issue in courts throughout the land, the U.S. Supreme Court is finally primed to give its answer in three cases being argued this term.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Throughout the country, courts have reached different conclusions about whether Title VII’s “on the basis of sex” language prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Building on its reassertion that Title VII doesn’t cover sexual orientation, the federal appeals court in New Orleans recently ruled there is no protection for employees who complain about perceived sexual orientation bias either. An HR manager who posted her opinions on Facebook about a man trying on a dress—and was subsequently fired for unsatisfactory […]