Judge’s EEOC Rebuke Erodes Weakened Workplace Gender Protections

A Texas federal judge’s interpretation of a landmark US Supreme Court ruling in his decision to vacate EEOC guidance on transgender workers will compound conservative backlash to LGBTQ+ discrimination protections.

Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk of the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas ruled May 15 the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission overstepped its authority in issuing the 2024 guidance on workplace harassment. His ruling axed sections that instructed employers not to misgender employees or prevent them from using facilities aligned with their gender identity.

He said the agency used a “misreading” of the Supreme Court’s ...