Attorney General Eric Holder announced today that they will now interpret the 1964 Civil Rights Act as protecting transgender government employees from discrimination.
Going to take legislation for that to happen for the rest of us trans Americans, but if you're working in the government sector this is fantastic news.
In a memo released today, Holder wrote that the "best reading of Title VII's prohibition of sex discrimination is that it encompasses discrimination based on gender identity, including transgender status." Holder said that while Congress "may not have had such claims in mind when it enacted Title VII, the Supreme Court has made clear that Title VII must be interpreted according to its plain text."
In a statement, Holder called the move an “important shift" that "will ensure that the protections of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 are extended to those who suffer discrimination based on gender identity, including transgender status."
You will call the Employment Litigation Section of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. They have the responsibility of enforcing Title VII claims against state and local governments. The DOJ doesn't prosecute claims against private employers, and you would need to see the EEOC for that.
But in a 2014 Christmas season where we could use some good news in Trans World, this is a start.
No comments:
Post a Comment