The Trump administration’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is launching an assault on DEI discrimination against white men.
After years of systematic race and sex discrimination against white men, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Chair Andrea Lucas made a direct appeal Wednesday, asking them to file employment discrimination claims.
“Are you a white male who has experienced discrimination at work based on your race or sex? You may have a claim to recover money under federal civil rights laws,” Lucas said in a video message posted to social media.
She directed Americans to an explainer page on the EEOC website that provides guidance on responding to discrimination based on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) ideology.
In the video, Lucas said that complaints are often time sensitive, and the explainer page makes clear that those who believe they are facing discrimination must first file a complaint with the EEOC before bringing a lawsuit in federal court.
Although DEI is not defined in statute, “Under Title VII, DEI policies, programs, or practices may be unlawful if they involve an employer or other covered entity taking an employment action motivated — in whole or in part — by an employee’s race, sex, or another protected characteristic” (emphasis in original).
Discrimination also means using quotas to “balance” workforces by race, sex, or other traits protected by law, as well as “disparate treatment” related to various employment-related activities, including applications, hiring, promotion, demotion, firing, compensation, selection for interviews, and fringe benefits, the explainer states. Exclusion from training, mentoring, sponsorship programs, and fellowships is also covered.
“Limiting, segregating, and classifying” based on race or sex, for example, by giving individual race or sex groups (often referred to as “affinity groups”) separate DEI training, is a violation of Title VII, as are harassment and retaliation based on those characteristics, according to the explainer.
“The EEOC is committed to identifying, attacking, and eliminating ALL race and sex discrimination — including against white male employees and applicants,” Lucas said in her social media announcement.