Attorney General Ken Paxton has successfully stopped an enforcement guidance issued under former President Joe Biden that sought to redefine the definition of “discrimination” to include self-professed “gender identity.” This unlawful rewrite of federal law would have opened private and state employers to lawsuits if they did not adopt sweeping “transgender” inclusive policies.
“The Biden Administration unlawfully tried to twist federal law into a tool for advancing radical gender ideology by attempting to force employers to adopt ‘transgender’ policies or risk being sued,” said Attorney General Paxton. “The federal government has no right to force Texans to play along with delusions or ignore biological reality in our workplaces. This is a great victory for common sense and the rule of law.”
In August 2024, Attorney General Paxton and the Heritage Foundation jointly sued the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) and Biden Administration officials to halt an attempt to force employers, both state and private, to use so-called “preferred pronouns,” allow biological males into women’s facilities, and abolish sex-specific workplace dress codes. Now, a federal district court has ruled that the EEOC exceeded its statutory authority by issuing guidance that contradicts the law and violates the Administrative Procedure Act, nullifying the gender-identity provisions nationwide.
To read the order, click here.