EEOC Bars Transgender Federal Employees from Gender-Aligned Bathrooms

The United States===United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has ruled that the federal government can prohibit transgender employees from using bathrooms aligned with their gender identity. This decision dismisses an appeal from a transgender woman who worked for the U.S. Army and reverses a decade-old landmark finding by the EEOC. The ruling cites President Donald Trump's executive order recognizing only two immutable sexes. EEOC Chair Andrea R. Lucas has been instrumental in implementing these policies, drawing criticism from civil rights groups and the sole Democratic commissioner, Kalpana Kotagal, who dissented. The decision applies to all federal agencies but does not set a precedent for U.S. courts or private employers. The employee has options to seek reconsideration or file a new case in federal district court.