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October 5, 2017, New York – In response to Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ memo on Department of Justice employment protections for transgender people, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) issued the following statement:
Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ memo reversing the DOJ’s interpretation of Title VII and attempting to rescind employment protections for transgender people is another act of blatant discrimination threatening the lives and livelihoods of transgender communities. Transgender people, especially trans women of color, already experience high rates of workplace discrimination, and in a context of broader and growing violence against their communities. The Title VII protections for gender identity are clear under this country’s civil rights law and numerous court rulings, and this flagrant effort to strip basic workplace protections from people who already experience pervasive transphobic discrimination is both inhumane and unlawful. CCR expresses our solidarity with transgender communities in resisting these escalating attacks and stands with them in the struggle to live and work in dignity.
The Center for Constitutional Rights works with communities under threat to fight for justice and liberation through litigation, advocacy, and strategic communications. Since 1966, the Center for Constitutional Rights has taken on oppressive systems of power, including structural racism, gender oppression, economic inequity, and governmental overreach. Learn more at ccrjustice.org.