Texas Judge Rules It’s Ok To Discriminate Against LGBTQ People

Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk—a far-right federal judge in the Northern District of Texas with a record of aligning with ultra-conservative legal positions—issued a ruling last week declaring that Title VII does not protect LGBTQ people from workplace discrimination. Obviously, this decision directly contradicts the Supreme Court’s landmark 2020 ruling in Bostock v Clayton County which held that discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity is, by definition, sex discrimination (duh). The judge basically said that Title VII only protects “firing someone simply for being homosexual or transgender,” but that it does NOT protect transgender or gay people from “harassment” in the workplace.

On Thursday, Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk issued a ruling declaring that Title VII no longer protects LGBTQ+ people from workplace discrimination.

[image or embed] — The Advocate (@advocate.com) May 19, 2025 at 8:45 AM

The case was brought against the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission by the state of Texas alongside the Heritage Foundation, a well-known far-right organization. Judge Kacsmaryk contended that different treatment of transgender employees does not constitute unequal treatment, reasoning that “a male employee must use male facilities like other males”—a remark that completely disregards transgender identity. He extended that logic to dress codes and pronouns, claiming that requiring employees to adhere to clothing standards and pronoun use based on their assigned sex at birth is not discriminatory because it applies “equally” to everyone. That argument is similar to the discredited legal reasoning once used to uphold bans on same-sex marriage—that such laws didn’t discriminate against gay people because they, like straight people, were allowed to marry someone of the opposite sex. Judge Kacsmaryk’s order includes the removal of all references to sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes under Title VII from EEOC guidance. Expect this ruling to be appealed.

Far-right judges rules that it’s totally legal to harass LGBTQ+ employees – buff.ly/KgUaCDv

[image or embed] — LGBTQ Nation (@lgbtqnation.com) May 19, 2025 at 5:00 AM