The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has just ruled that federal employment discrimination law (Title VII) prohibits transgender discrimination. This means that employers may not take a person’s transgender status into account in making employment decisions, such a hiring, firing and promoting.
This decision follows the same reasoning applied to longstanding sex and gender discrimination laws that prohibit discrimination “because of” an employee’s sex. If you believe your employer has taken adverse actions against you because of your sex, whether male, female or transgender, you may be able to file an employment discrimination action. It’s important to contact an experienced Georgia gender discrimination lawyer right away to discuss your options.
Although the new ruling isn’t binding on the courts, it will influence how the EEOC and state agencies enforce Title VII. In its ruling, the commission concluded, “Whether motivated by hostility, gender stereotypes or “to accommodate other people’s prejudices or discomfort … discrimination against a transgender individual because that person is transgender is, by definition, discrimination ‘based on …sex.'”
This decision was influenced by how the federal courts have tackled the issue of transgender discrimination over the last several years. The Supreme Court has ruled, “sex stereotyping, including those stereotypes based on gender norms, are prohibited by Title VII. ”
For more information about any type of gender discrimination, including transgender discrimination, please contact the top Georgia sex discrimination lawyers at Buckley Beal LLP, LLC for an immediate case evaluation.