American Eagle Outfitters, Inc., based on the South Side of Pittsburgh, is revising its employee handbooks requirements for gender-specific appearance as part of a compromise settlement with New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, according to a report published in the New York Daily News last week.
The issue was brought to the New York Attorney Generals office by a community group called Make the Road New York, which claimed that American Eagle discriminates against transgendered people because its employee conduct code includes a personal appearance clause that banned men from wearing womens clothing and vice versa.
After looking in the claim, the Attorney Generals office researched the issue and agreed.
A spokeswoman for American Eagle said in a statement to the paper:
To avoid further expense and the distraction of a prolonged argument, [we have] agreed to a compromise settlement in this case, with the understanding that AEO is not admitting to the findings…We wholeheartedly believe that transgender individuals should be treated equally.
The company agreed to revise its employee handbook and to train its employees on transgender issues.