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Make the Road New York announced a major victory against American Eagle Outfitters, a national clothing retailer, for systematically discriminating against transgender people [NY Daily News].
Long at the forefront of efforts to protect the civil rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, MRNY began its groundbreaking investigation of job discrimination after two of MRNY’s transgender members were turned down for jobs at local fast-food restaurants. After dispatching matched pairs of equally qualified undercover applicants (one transgender, one not) to a variety of NYC employers, MRNY discovered a widespread pattern of discrimination against transgender job applicants. (Download the report here.)
MRNY then filed a complaint with the New York State Attorney General, prompting a formal investigation that uncovered an array of discriminatory practices at American Eagle. These included a "Personal Appearance Standard" policy that required all employees to "wear gender appropriate clothing" because "it is inappropriate for men to wear women’s products and for women to wear men’s products."
As a result of our complaint, the Attorney General compelled American Eagle to revise its policies to ensure equal employment opportunities and respectful treatment of transgender employees. And while news of MRNY’s victory has generally been celebrated in the media, Fox’s Bill O’Reilly once again exhibited his intolerance, and disregard for employment law, by declaring his disgust with the victory.
MRNY’s groundbreaking legal victory will impact more than 60 American Eagle stores and 2,100 employees throughout New York State!
We could not have won this victory without the generous supporters of friends like you, but we need your help to continue our work to combat job discrimination. Please donate today.