Make the Road New York, the New York City workers rights group, has scored another victory with clothier American Eagle Outfitters. After public demands earlier this year that retailers like J. Crew update their hiring policies to include non-discrimination orders, they helped push Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to secure trans-friendly policies at AE.
No longer can American Eagle which has 61 stores and 2,000 employees in New York require men and women to wear gender-specific clothing.
"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," a company spokeswoman said. "We wholeheartedly believe that transgender individuals should be treated equally," she added in a statement. The chain store also has agreed to train its staff on transgender issues like which pronouns to use when referring to workers and customers.
Unfortunately there’s nothing the attorney general’s office can do to force American Eagle to stop trying to be Abercrombie & Fitch.