When Fighting Discrimination Becomes the Discrimination

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was created to fight workplace discrimination. It was supposed to be a safe place for everyone. But under the Trump administration, things changed. A judge recently ruled that the EEOC itself became a hostile work environment. Marc Seawright, the Director of Information Governance and Strategy at the EEOC, was forced to quit. He said the leadership discriminated against transgender employees, including himself. A judge agreed and said Seawright had a good reason to resign. Now, he can get unemployment benefits while his discrimination complaint is being reviewed. Seawright had worked at the EEOC for eight years. He helped the agency fight workplace discrimination. He even created an app that let colleagues share their pronouns. He was also a leader in the agency's LGBTQ+ employee resource group. But then, the new EEOC chair, Andrea Lucas, disbanded the group. In January, Seawright said he was told to erase any mention of transgender, non-binary, or sexual orientation from agency materials. He had to create a system to censor these references. As a queer trans man, this was personally devastating for him. He said it made the work environment hostile. Seawright's complaint is not just about what he was told to do. It's also about what he was prevented from doing. He was locked out of network systems he needed for his job. He was left off meeting invitations for initiatives he was supposed to lead. Meanwhile, other EEOC staff were told to stop processing complaints from workers alleging LGBTQ+ discrimination. The EEOC even tried to dismiss lawsuits against companies accused of discriminating against trans and non-binary workers. The agency's internal non-discrimination policy was also rescinded. These changes are ironic. They happened at the agency that is supposed to fight discrimination. They also go against a 2020 Supreme Court decision. The court ruled that discrimination based on transgender identity or sexual orientation is prohibited by the Civil Rights Act. Seawright's lawyer, Rebecca Peterson-Fisher, said that Andrea Lucas' actions go against the Supreme Court's interpretation. Before Seawright can sue in federal court, he has to give the EEOC until December to review his complaint. After that, his attorneys can ask a jury to decide if the EEOC was a hostile work environment. For now, at least one judge in the US has said just that.