National
Despite court ruling, EEOC to continue taking anti-gay bias claims
7th Circuit found ‘no protection from nor redress for discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation’
The EEOC will continue to accept claims of anti-gay discrimination as gender discrimination. (Image public domain)
Despite a federal appeals court ruling that determined current law provides “no protection from nor redress for discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation,” the U.S. agency charged with enforcing federal workplace civil rights law will continue to accept and investigate charges of anti-gay employment discrimination in the court’s jurisdiction.
Justine Lisser, a spokesperson for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, said Friday her agency will “continue to investigate cases despite an adverse decision” from the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals contrary to the commission’s policy of investigating claims of anti-gay discrimination as gender discrimination.
The response, Lisser said, comes from the Office of Field Programs, which oversees all the district offices and sets policy for investigations, and is based on the fact the commission “enforces laws that apply nationwide.”
“Unless the commission issues policy to the contrary, we will follow current commission policy and continue to accept and investigate charges alleging sex discrimination that is based on sexual orientation or gender identity,” Lisser concluded.
Last week, a three-judge panel on the Seventh Circuit determined Title VII of Civil Rights of Act of 1964 provided no recourse for Kimberly Hively, a lesbian law professor alleging workplace discrimination at Ivy Tech Community College. The school has denied the allegations.
U.S. Circuit Judge Ilana Rovner, the judge writing the decision, admitted “it seems illogical to entertain” the idea laws against sex discrimination cover gender non-conformity, but not sexual orientation, but nonetheless refused to change precedent in the jurisdiction to allow the claim of anti-gay discrimination to go forward.
The decision runs contrary to the EEOC’s determination last year in the case of Baldwin v. Foxx, which started a precedent enabling the agency to take and investigate claims of sexual-orientation workplace bias as gender discrimination. In 2011, the agency found in the case of Macy v. Holder transgender discrimination constitutes gender discrimination under Title VII.
Lambda Legal, which represents Hively, has said it intends to pursue an “en banc” review of the three-judge panel’s decision before the full Seventh Circuit. The judicial circuit consists of Wisconsin and Illinois, which have state laws barring anti-gay discrimination, and Indiana, which doesn’t.
Even though the three-judge panel refused to change precedent within the 7th Circuit, the EEOC can still mediate with companies that engage in anti-gay discrimination to obtain conciliation, or else take those companies to federal court for a costly legal battle.
Despite EEOC policy, many LGBT advocates have asserted there’s no recourse for anti-LGBT workplace discrimination under current law because neither sexual orientation nor gender identity is explicitly included under federal civil rights law. These advocates often assert the maxim a gay person can be married on Sunday, then fired on Monday when that union becomes public.
Tico Almeida, president of the LGBT group Freedom to Work, said Indiana workers who feel they’ve faced anti-LGBT employment discrimination should file claims with the EEOC even without explicit protections under federal law.
“If a gay, lesbian or bisexual Hoosier is married on Sunday and fired on Monday, we recommend they contact an attorney and file a Title VII sex discrimination claim with the EEOC’s office in Indianapolis,” Almeida said. “The three judges from the Hively decision are not the final word on this legal question, and in the meantime, hundreds of LGBT workers have recently won recourse by fighting back against discrimination and filing claims at the EEOC.”
Federal Government
House Republicans push nationwide ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill
Measures would restrict federal funding for LGBTQ-affirming schools
Republicans have been gaining ground in reshaping education policy to be less inclusive toward LGBTQ students at the state level, and now they are turning their focus to Capitol Hill.
Some GOP lawmakers are pushing for a nationwide “Don’t Say Gay” bill, doubling down on their commitment to being the party of “traditional family values” by excluding anyone who does not identify with their sex at birth.
The largest anti-LGBTQ education legislation to reach the House chamber is House Bill 2616 — the Parental Rights Over the Education and Care of Their Kids Act, or the PROTECT Kids Act. The PROTECT Kids Act, proposed by U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), and co-sponsored by U.S. Reps. Burgess Owens (R-Utah), Mary Miller (R-Ill.), Robert Onder (R-Mo.), and Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.), would require any public elementary and middle schools that receive federal funding to require parental consent to change a child’s gender expression in school.
The bill, which was discussed during Tuesday’s House Rules Committee hearing, would specifically require any schools that get federal money from the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 — which was created to minimize financial discrepancies in education for low-income students — to get parental approval before identifying any child’s gender identity as anything other than what was provided to the school initially. This includes getting approval before allowing children to use their preferred locker room or bathroom.
It reads that any school receiving this funding “shall obtain parental consent before changing a covered student’s (1) gender markers, pronouns, or preferred name on any school form; or (2) sex-based accommodations, including locker rooms or bathrooms.”
LGBTQ rights advocates have criticized both national and state efforts to require parental permission to use a child’s preferred gender identity, as it raises issues of at-home safety — especially if the home is not LGBTQ-affirming — and could lead to the outing of transgender or gender-curious students.
A follow-up bill, HB 2617, proposed by Owens, one of the bill’s co-sponsors, prevents the use of federal funding to “advance concepts related to gender ideology,” using the definition from President Donald Trump’s 2025 Executive Order 14168, making that an enshrined definition in law of sex rather than just by executive order. There is also a bill making its way through the senate with the same text— Senate Bill 2251.
Advocates have also criticized this follow-up legislation, as it would restrict school staff — including teachers and counselors — from acknowledging trans students’ identities or providing any support. They have said that this kind of isolation can worsen mental health outcomes for LGBTQ youth and allows for education to be politicized rather than being based in reality.
David Stacy, the Human Rights Campaign’s vice president of government affairs, called this legislation out for using LGBTQ children as political pawns in an ideology fight — one that could greatly harm the safety of these children if passed.
“Trans kids are not a political agenda — they are students who deserve safety and affirmation at school like anyone else,” Stacy said in a statement. “Despite the many pressing issues facing our nation, House Republicans continue their bizarre obsession with trans people. H.R. 2616 does not protect children. It targets them. This bill is cruel, and we’re prepared to fight it.”
This is similar to Florida House Bills 1557 and 1069, referred to as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill and “Don’t Say They” bill, respectively, restricting classroom discussions on sexual orientation and gender identity, prohibiting the use of pronouns consistent with one’s gender identity, expanding book banning procedures, and censoring health curriculum.
The American Civil Liberties Union is tracking 233 bills related to restricting student and educator rights in the U.S.
National
BREAKING NEWS: Shots fired at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner
Shooter reportedly opened fire inside hotel
Four loud bangs were heard in the International Ballroom of the Washington Hilton during the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday.
According to the Associated Press, a shooter opened fire inside the hotel outside the ballroom.
Attendees could hear four loud bangs as people started to duck and take cover. During the chaos sounds of salad and glasses were dropped as hotel employees, and guests ducked for cover.
The head table — which included President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, first lady Melania Trump, and White House Correspondents Association President Weijia Jiang — were rushed off stage.
“The U.S. Secret Service, in coordination with the Metropolitan Police Department, is investigating a shooting incident near the main magnetometer screening area at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner,” the U.S. Secret Service said in a statement. “The president and the First Lady are safe along all protects. One individual is in custody. The condition of those involved is not yet known, and law enforcement is actively assessing the situation.”
Trump held a press conference at the White House after he left the hotel.
“A man charged a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons and he was taken down by some very brave members of Secret Service,” said Trump.
Trump said the shooter is from California. He also said an officer was shot, but said his bullet proof vest “saved” him.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, interim D.C. police chief Jeffrey Carroll, U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro, and other officials held their own press conference at the hotel.
Carroll said the gunman who has been identified as Cole Tomas Allen was armed with a shotgun, handgun, and “multiple” knives when he charged a Secret Service checkpoint in a hotel lobby. Carroll also told reporters that law enforcement “exchanged gunfire with that individual.”
Both he and Bowser said the gunman appeared to act alone.
“We are so very thankful to members of law enforcement who did their jobs tonight and made sure all guests were safe,” said Bowser. “Nobody else was involved.”
The Washington Blade will update this story as details become more available.
State Department
State Department implements anti-trans bathroom policy
Memo notes directive corresponds with White House executive order
The State Department on April 20 announced employees cannot use bathrooms that correspond with their gender identity.
The Daily Signal, a conservative news website, reported the State Department announced the new policy in a memo titled “Updates Regarding Biological Sex and Intimate Spaces, Including Restrooms.”
The State Department has not responded to the Washington Blade’s request for comment on the directive.
“The administration affirms that there are two sexes — male and female — and that federal facilities should operate on this objective and longstanding basis to ensure consistency, privacy, and safety in shared spaces,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Piggot told the Daily Signal. “In line with President Trump’s executive order this provides clear, uniform guidance to the department by grounding policy in biological sex as determined at birth.”
President Donald Trump shortly after he took office in January 2025 issued an executive order that directed the federal government to only recognize two genders: male and female. The sweeping directive also ordered federal government agencies to “effectuate this policy by taking appropriate action to ensure that intimate spaces designated for women, girls, or females (or for men, boys, or males) are designated by sex and not identity.”
The Daily Signal notes the new State Department policy “does not prohibit single-occupancy restrooms.”
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Calendar: April 24-30
