Women’s advocacy groups join forces to denounce EEOC leader’s hostility toward LGBTQI+ rights

Statement of the National Partnership for Women & Families and the National Women’s Law Center 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As advocates deeply committed to civil rights and gender justice, the National Partnership for Women & Families and the National Women’s Law Center denounce the appalling – but not surprising – decision made by Andrea Lucas, the acting chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to hire staff hostile to civil rights protections for LGBTQI+ workers. 

“Lucas’ choice for chief of staff, Shannon Royce – who has publicly expressed hostility to LGBTQI+ rights – reflects just the latest example of how the agency has abandoned its mission to protect all workers from unlawful employment discrimination. Lucas has already relegated all charges of discrimination filed by transgender workers to the lowest priority and has directed the agency to drop its own lawfully opened cases on behalf of transgender workers. 

“Since day one of this Trump administration, Andrea Lucas’ actions have signaled not only an abandonment of the agency’s mission to prevent and remedy unlawful employment discrimination and advance equal opportunity for all but also an outright hostility to the rights of a vulnerable community. 

“Lucas’ claims that her actions are ‘defending women’ ring hollow when her attacks on transgender workers do nothing to make women safer or address the widespread discrimination and harassment they continue to face in the workplace. All workers should be able to depend on the EEOC to protect their rights. Picking favorites to support and others to ignore is inconsistent with the EEOC’s broad mandate to rigorously enforce all of the anti-discrimination protections within its jurisdiction. By failing to uphold the rights of transgender workers, Lucas undermines the rights of all workers who face discrimination based on gender and sex stereotypes.  

“The Supreme Court has been crystal clear that it is illegal to discriminate against a person simply because they are transgender. Transgender workers are protected under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, and no action by the Acting Chair can change that.” 

Click here to view this on the National Partnership for Women & Families website. 

The National Partnership for Women & Families is a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy group dedicated to promoting fairness in the workplace, reproductive health and rights, access to quality, affordable health care, and policies that help all people meet the dual demands of work and family. More information is available at NationalPartnership.org. 

The National Women’s Law Center fights for gender justice — in the courts, in public policy, and in our society — working across the issues that are central to the lives of women and girls. We use the law in all its forms to change culture and drive solutions to the gender inequity that shapes our society and to break down the barriers that harm all of us — especially those who face multiple forms of discrimination, including women of color, LGBTQ people, and low-income women and families. For more than 45 years, we have been on the leading edge of every major legal and policy victory for women. Find out more at NWLC.org.