05-01-2019
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a lawsuit against A & E Tire alleging gender discrimination arising out of its actions toward a transgender man.Egan Woodward alleged that he interviewed for a managerial position in 2014 and was offered the position at a Denver location. According to the complaint, Woodward toured the facility and was introduced to other employees as the new manager. However, when the interviewer took a closer look at the application forms, he realized that Woodward had identified his gender as female and used his former female name. The interviewer questioned Woodward to see if he had made a mistake. Woodward confirmed that it was correct; he did not get the job.
The EEOC’s complaint alleged gender discrimination based on Woodward’s failure to conform to gender stereotypes. While the question of whether Title VII precludes sexual orientation discrimination remains unclear, the prohibition against discrimination based on gender stereotyping was expressly upheld in the U.S. Supreme Court’s case, Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins. A & E Tire denied the charges. However, it entered into a consent decree with the EEOC, agreeing to make it clear in employment policies that it will not tolerate sex discrimination, including discrimination based on sex stereotyping and transgender status and will provide training to its managers. The company will also pay $60,000 along with a letter of apology to Woodward.