The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is trying to dismiss its own cases—with prejudice. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has begun filing motions to dismiss court cases the agency brought against businesses accused of discriminating against transgender and nonbinary employees. Federal court records show the EEOC filed to dismiss four cases related to gender identity late this week. Multiple EEOC workers, who spoke to Mother Jones on the condition of anonymity, say agency staff have been instructed not to investigate current or future complaints regarding gender identity. There are at least seven EEOC cases about gender identity and sexual orientation discrimination pending in the federal court system. The EEOC received more than 3,000 charges alleging discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in fiscal year 2023, the most recent year for which data is available. On Friday, the EEOC asked a judge in the Western District of New York to dismiss a case in which a claimant said they were described as an “it” and called a “transformer” by their manager at a Holiday Inn Express. The employee reported the alleged harassment, but were told by hotel management they weren’t a “good fit” for the housekeeping role, and subsequently received notice that their employment was terminated, the original complaint said. The motion to dismiss indicates “recent Administration policy changes” as reasoning. The EEOC also sought dismissal on Friday of a lawsuit in which a group of transgender Wendy’s employees claimed they were on the receiving end of “pervasive sexual harassment including repeatedly subjecting the transgender employees to misgendering, graphic sexual comments, unequal access to bathrooms, intrusive questions, and degrading conduct based on gender identity.” Subsequently, some of the transgender employees reported seeing their hours reduced or were terminated.
via mother jones: Trump Administration Moves to Protect Businesses Accused of Anti-Trans Discrimination
