WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Attorney General Eric Holder announced expanded protection for transgender government employees Thursday, allowing the Justice Department to file claims against employers accused of discriminating based on gender identity.
The expanded protections come from Holder's clarified interpretation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits workplace discrimination due to racial, gender or religious bias. Holder will no longer maintain the previously established position that "Title VII's prohibition against discrimination based on sex does not encompass gender identity per se."