Labor and Employment
EEOC Reveals Positions Related to LGBT Workers
May 4, 2016
Practice Area: Labor and Employment

On May 2, 2016, the EEOC posted on its website, information about the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s positions related to LGBT workers. Among other things, the EEOC warned employers that, in the EEOC’s view, it is a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to do the following:
- Fail to hire an applicant because she is a transgender woman;
- Deny an employee equal access to a common restroom corresponding to the employee’s gender identity (i.e., require that employee to use a separate, single-user or “family” bathroom);
- Harass an employee because of a gender transition, such as by intentionally and persistently failing to use the name and gender pronoun that correspond to the gender identity with which the employee identifies, and which the employee has communicated to management and employees.
The posting of this information likely means the EEOC intends to look for and pursue these kinds of claims. Accordingly, employers should take steps to ensure that their policies and practices avoid exposure to this risk. Read the full post from the EEOC here.
About the Author

John J. Egbert
About Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, P.L.C.
Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, P.L.C., has been providing legal counsel for 75 years through its offices in Phoenix and Peoria, Arizona; and Washington, D.C. The firm’s primary areas of practice include advertising and media law; agribusiness; automobile dealership law; bankruptcy, reorganization and creditors’ rights; construction; corporate and securities; employee benefits and pensions; energy; family law and domestic relations; health care; intellectual property; labor and employment; legal ethics; litigation; professional liability defense; real estate; surety and fidelity; tax; and trust and estates. For additional information please visit and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
Please note that this client alert has been prepared by Jennings, Strouss & Salmon, P.L.C. for informational purposes only. These materials do not constitute, and should not be considered, legal advice, and you are urged to consult with an attorney on your own specific legal matters. Transmission of the information contained in this client alert is not intended to create, and receipt by the reader does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship with Jennings, Strouss & Salmon or any of its individual attorneys.
The Law Firm Alliance

Read More
Contact Us
One East Washington Street, Suite 1900
Phoenix, AZ 85004-2554
P 602.262.5911 | F 602.495.2979
16150 North Arrowhead Fountains Center Drive, Suite 250
Peoria, AZ 85382-4754
P 623.878.2222 | F 623.878.1333
1760 E. River Road, Suite 230
Tucson, AZ 85718-5990
P 520.618.1050 | F 520.618.1070
1300 I Street NW, Suite 1120
Washington, D.C. 20005-3314
P 202.292.4738 | F 202.371.9025