Macy EEOC Anniversary: ruling “vital tool” in fight against discrimination

WASHINGTON, DC, April 30, 2015 — The National LGBTQ Task Force is celebrating the third anniversary this month of the Macy ruling that recognized that transgender people are protected from discrimination by federal law. The 2012 ruling by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) found that an employer who discriminates against an employee or applicant on the basis of the person’s gender identity is violating the prohibition on sex discrimination in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

“Macy was truly a historic victory for LGBTQ people and particularly for transgender people and their families, as it recognized that transgender people are protected by federal law and have legal recourse if they are denied a job or fired just because of who they are. The ruling has proven to be a vital tool in the fight against discrimination and unemployment experienced by transgender people. We need to further attack the scourge of discrimination in a multifaceted manner—and while transgender people as well as lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer people may file employment discrimination with the EEOC, we still need more. We must push for legislation that provides clear and strong protections for transgender people in the 31 states that don’t have those laws, as well as on the federal level,” said Rea Carey, National LGBTQ Task Force Executive Director.

For decades, the National LGBTQ Task Force has been advocating for nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people. The organization was instrumental in the introduction of the first comprehensive nondiscrimination bill in Congress by the legendary Bella Abzug; continued to push hard for more protections in the states, through the courts, and through important agency rulings such as the Macy ruling; advocated for executive actions to provide more protections for both federal employees and the employees of federal contractors, and will continue to push for state and federal employment non-discrimination legislation.

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CONTACT:
Jorge Amaro
Media and Public Relations Director
213-842-7564
jamaro@thetaskforce.org