STATEMENT: EEOC Abandons its Duty to Process and Investigate LGBTQ+ Employment Discrimination Claims  

January 31. 2025

For Immediate Release
Jan 31, 2025

Media Contact
Nazirah Ahmad
[email protected]

CONTACT
Blake Case
[email protected]
(601) 832-6079

Statement from Noreen Farrell, Executive Director of Equal Rights Advocates, on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) improper pause on LGBTQ+ claims 

Jan. 31, 2025 – The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) reported pause on processing discrimination complaints for LGBTQ+ workers is a complete abdication of its duties to enforce our nation’s employment discrimination laws. The Supreme Court’s landmark Bostock v. Clayton County decision unequivocally established that discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity is discrimination based on sex under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This isn’t a matter of policy preference or political ideology, it’s settled law that the EEOC has a legal duty to enforce.

By refusing to process these discrimination claims, the EEOC is abandoning its core mission and leaving countless workers vulnerable to workplace harassment and discrimination. The agency charged with protecting workers’ civil rights cannot simply decide to ignore Supreme Court precedent because of a change in political leadership.

This dereliction of EEOC’s duty under its legal mandate requires immediate judicial intervention. LGBTQ+ employees deserve the full protection of our civil rights laws, as established by Congress and the Supreme Court, not selective enforcement based on political whims.

The abrupt dismissal of two Democratic EEOC commissioners and its general counsel, combined with this policy change, signals a broader attack on fundamental workplace protections. Equal Rights Advocates calls on the EEOC to reverse this transparently partisan action; not only do our workers deserve their rights to be protected, but the very credibility of the EEOC is at stake. If they do not, the courts must step in to ensure the nation’s chief workplace anti-discrimination agency fulfills its legal obligations to all workers. The rights of LGBTQ+ workers are not optional or debatable – they are guaranteed by law and must be enforced.

To request an interview with ERA expert Noreen Farrell, or Deborah J. Vagins, National Campaign Director & Director of Equal Pay Today, contact Blake Case at [email protected] or (601) 832-6079.

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About Equal Rights Advocates

Equal Rights Advocates fights for gender justice in workplaces and schools across the country. Since 1974, they have been fighting on the front lines of social justice to protect and advance rights and opportunities for women, girls, and people of all gender identities through groundbreaking legal cases and bold legislation that sets the stage for the rest of the nation.