The Department of Justice (DOJ) accepted Monday a ruling from Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) that claims gender identity discrimination is a type of sex discrimination that is illegal under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

According to Metro Weekly, the April 20th ruling from the EEOC was based from a complaint brought by the Transgender Law Center (TLC) on behalf of Mia Macy, a transgender woman living in California who felt the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) denied her employment with the agency after learning of her transition.

The ATF, which is a part of the DOJ, sent a letter to Macy last Friday that will investigate her claims of discrimination. National Center for Transgender Equality executive director Mara Keisling told The Raw Story how much of a turning point decision the ruling was.

“It’s really great,” Keisling. “It’s an amazing tool, it’s common sense and we’ve already seen a lot of employers are taking [it to] the heart, doing what they have to do to be in compliance.”

Keisling also indicated that it was “absolutely” too early to gauge how many employers are abiding by the DOJ’s ruling instead of challenging it.

[Image via Shutterstock.com]

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