(San Francisco, CA, April 24, 2012)—Yesterday, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency charged with enforcing federal laws against workplace discrimination, issued a landmark ruling that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects transgender workers. The EEOC held that discrimination against a transgender employee on the basis of the employee’s gender identity is prohibited sex discrimination under federal law. While a number of federal courts have issued similar decisions, this is the first time the EEOC has ruled on this issue.

The plaintiff in the case is Mia Macy, a veteran and former police detective who was denied a job by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Ms. Macy is represented by the Transgender Law Center.

The EEOC’s decision means that transgender employees across the country who experience workplace discrimination can now file a claim with the EEOC at any of its 53 offices across the country.

Statement by NCLR Executive Director Kate Kendell, Esq.:

“This ruling marks a sea change in the treatment of transgender people under federal law. After years of being wrongly and unfairly excluded from federal protections against sex discrimination, transgender workers will now enjoy the same protections against unlawful discrimination based on gender stereotyping as other Americans. Mia Macy and the Transgender Law Center deserve enormous credit for bringing this historic case, which has resulted in a landmark ruling that will change the lives of countless transgender people.”