Given the ongoing partisan gridlock in the U.S. Congress, civil rights advocates in recent years have focused increased attention on securing their legislative priorities, including expanded workplace protections, at the state and local level. Perhaps not surprisingly, one of the local jurisdictions that has been most receptive to these efforts is New York City.
This past December, the NYC Commission on Human Rights published new Legal Enforcement Guidance on the city’s already existing law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of gender, including gender identity or expression. The guidance provides a good example not only of how local requirements can go well beyond current federal requirements, but also of what employers could expect if Congress ever adopts similar prohibitions.
Members of the Equal Employment Advisory Council (EEAC) can read more here.