Report

Effect of State Policy on Charges Filed at the EEOC

New research on sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination
April 2019

Since 2013, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has allowed workers to file sex discrimination charges that allege sexual orientation or gender identity discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. This report examines patterns and trends in charge filings made between 2012 and 2016.

AUTHORS
Highlights
Researchers analyzed 9,121 charges and found about half included claims of discriminatory terminations and harassment.
Black workers and men had high rates of filing sexual orientation charges while women and White workers had high filing rates for gender identity charges.
The greatest increase in filing charges came from states without laws that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Data Points
58%
of charges of sexual orientation discrimination were filed by men
42%
of the sexual orientation discrimination charges were filed by women

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Effect of State Policy on Charges Filed at the EEOC