The provisions of 29 C.F.R. 30.3 of the apprenticeship EEO regulations, and specifically the EEO Pledge, state that sex discrimination includes discrimination on the basis of gender identity, as well as discrimination on the basis of pregnancy. Additionally, the Office of Apprenticeship looks to the legal standards and defenses applied under title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Executive Order 11246 in determining whether a sponsor has engaged in unlawful discrimination on the basis of sex. The Supreme Court, in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, No. 17-1618 (S. Ct. June 15, 2020) held that the prohibition in title VII against sex discrimination includes discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, and thus that firing individuals because of their sexual orientation or transgender status violates title VII’s prohibition on discrimination because of sex.
What do the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) regulations say about whether gender identity is a form of sex discrimination?
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Sponsors retain the ability to identify and select the best candidates for their programs, as long as those selections are free from unlawful discrimination. Sponsors must engage in outreach and recruitment activities that extend to all groups of people, and ensure that their selection procedures are equitable, uniform, and consistently applied. By taking these steps, sponsors reach new and more diverse talent pools that can improve the quality of their apprenticeship programs and help to ensure Equal Employment Opportunity.
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All apprentices and applicants for apprenticeship are protected against discrimination on the grounds listed in 29 C.F.R. 30.3 of the apprenticeship Equal Employment Opportunity regulations. This means that no apprentice or applicant can be discriminated against because of their race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), disability, age (40 or older), sexual orientation, or genetic information. So, for example, both men and women, as well as people of all races and ethnicities, are protected from discrimination on these bases.
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The Equal Employment Opportunity regulations for Registered Apprenticeship Programs prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), disability, age (40 or older), sexual orientation, and genetic information. Under 29 C.F.R. 30.3, sponsors may not discriminate on these bases with respect to personnel actions, including recruitment, selection, placement, rates of pay, hours of work, job assignments, and terminations.
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If a program has not historically received applications from individuals in underrepresented groups, the sponsor’s outreach and recruitment practices may not be reaching qualified individuals from these groups who would be interested in applying. Accordingly, the Equal Employment Opportunity regulations require Registered Apprenticeship Program sponsors to take steps to ensure all qualified individuals have access to apprenticeship programs and are considered for program vacancies. Such steps include developing a list of recruitment resources that will generate referrals from diverse demographic groups and providing these sources with advance notice of job openings so that they can notify and refer candidates. If underutilization of a certain group persists, sponsors may need to undertake more targeted outreach and recruitment efforts to ensure that they are drawing from a diverse pool of qualified applicants.
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