VII & IX, A Professional Law Corporation

"In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, Topaz Smith, who is Black, said the organization embraced a 'scofflaw approach to anti-discrimination laws' and oversaw a hostile atmosphere toward women and Black workers." #TitleVII #Sex #Race #Harassment #Discrimination #Employees #Illegal https://lnkd.in/eXxY7xuy

"Dwight Jackson said that he applied repeatedly for positions at the Shinola Hotel under his given name between January 2024 and April 2024, according to a legal complaint filed on July 3 in the Third Judicial Circuit of Michigan. When he changed the name on his otherwise identical résumé to “John Jebrowski,” according to the suit, Jackson said he was called in for an interview that same week." #TitleVII #Race #Discrimination #Employee #Illegal https://lnkd.in/g-Yaqktj

"The House measure, which would prevent Biden's revisions of Title IX from taking effect, is unlikely to pass in the Senate, where Democrats have a slim majority. And it faces a certain veto from the president. But the resolution added momentum to the conservative attack against the Biden administration’s plan to codify protections for LGBTQ+ students and reverse Trump-era guidelines for adjudicating sexual harassment and assault cases on campus. The House passed Thursday's rebuke of the rule on a party-line vote, 210 for and 205 against. Republicans, including Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., the chair of the House education committee, focused their support on the concept of safety for women in sports." #TitleIX https://lnkd.in/eigZ8fji

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is an ingenious piece of legislation, with a fascinating and surprising history. Take, for instance, the reason that "sex" is one of the characteristics protected by this law. Following President Kennedy's Civil Rights Address of June 11, 1963 (see below), Congress responded by introducing a bill providing protection from discrimination and retaliation on the basis of race, color, religion and national origin. Howard Smith, a Virginia Democrat who chaired the House Rules Committee and strongly opposed the legislation, proposed an amendment to add "sex" as a protected characteristic. There is disagreement over whether his move was cynical or sincere, but there is no doubt that it was successful. The amendment passed by a vote of 168 to 133, and ultimately resulted in the right of Americans to work free from discrimination on the basis of "sex." https://lnkd.in/gtBVYDZS

"Microsoft (MSFT) has reached a $14.4 million settlement with California’s Civil Rights Department over claims the company discriminated against employees who were on parental and disability leave." #Sex #Pregnancy #Disability #Leave #Accommodations #Discrimination #Illegal #Employees https://lnkd.in/gx7yXdyq

"Beginning Aug. 1, LGBTQ+ students across the United States are poised to earn unprecedented federal protection from discrimination under a sweeping overhaul of the federal law known as Title IX. That is, if the new rules take effect. For more than a half-century, Title IX has protected students at publicly funded colleges and K-12 schools from discrimination “on the basis of sex.” The new rules explicitly clarify that this includes bias based on sexual orientation or gender identity, expanding the definition of harassment and compelling schools to swiftly address it. In a firestorm of dissent, at least 20 states have taken steps to keep the rules from going into effect, and numerous lawsuits allege government overreach. Meanwhile, some mental health professionals say the changes could vastly improve campus life for students who often feel marginalized." #TitleIX #Sex #Discrimination #Harassment #GenderIdentity #SexualOrientation #Students #K12 #HigherEd https://lnkd.in/gE9tQgZd

"Ahead of settlement discussions, Oregon has filed three motions attempting to dismiss or substantially pare down a federal sex discrimination lawsuit filed last year by current and former female athletes on the school’s beach volleyball and club rowing teams. Schroeder et al v. University of Oregon is notable in that it is the first known Title IX suit that seeks relief based on alleged disparities in NIL opportunities for college athletes. The plaintiffs, who are pursuing class certification, have targeted the university’s relationship with its dedicated collective, Division Street, and Opendorse, which hosts the Ducks’ official NIL marketplace. The plaintiffs are also asking the court for millions of dollars in damages related to what they claim was the disproportionate amount of financial aid female varsity athletes were offered over a multiyear period." #TitleIX #Sex #Discrimination #NIL #Athletes #HigherEd https://lnkd.in/gNRxh4vD

Even though it appears the Title IX athletics final rule has been shelved or rather delayed until further notice, Institutions of higher education can still be direct in their messaging when it comes to gender equity in athletics. Collegiate athletics present a myriad of challenges not unique to their group, but are heightened due to the dissimilar social strata they have against other student groups. Clearly, since "The athletics proposal garnered over 150,000 comments, compared to the more than 210,000 received by the broader rule--" this topic is important to many (K12Dive.com). Some may be reticent to receive an Athletics Rule that could be contradictory to some Title IX protections, but with what we know of student-athletes being 2-3x more likely to experience sexual violence no matter their division, I hope the delay does not last more than the estimated additional year. https://lnkd.in/eNf3fZbk

Really looking forward to these 14 states bringing this same energy to enforcement of the parts of Title IX they do agree with. (We see you.) "U.S. District Judge John Broomes’ order is the latest development in a set of eight lawsuits challenging the Biden administration rule, which explicitly protects LGBTQ+ students and staff from discrimination by adding gender identity and sexual orientation to the definition of 'sex discrimination.'” https://lnkd.in/gTejx2BP

"Three deans at Columbia University have lost their jobs over what the university is calling disturbing texts that 'touched on ancient antisemitic tropes.' Columbia says the three individuals are on indefinite leave, and will not return to their prior positions." https://lnkd.in/gQMq8qSA #TitleVI #TitleVII #Religion #Harassment #Discrimination #Illegal #HigherEd #Administrator #Dean #Student #Employee