The District of Columbia recently updated it human rights laws to include a revised definition of sex discrimination in employment.
The updated law defines sex as “the state of being biologically male, female, or intersex, including associated medical conditions and reproductive health decisions.” The revision expands the prohibition on sex-based discrimination to include adverse actions based on reproductive health decisions.
The revised law prohibits employers from engaging in retaliatory, coercive, or interfering behavior due to an employee’s reproductive health decisions.
A reproductive health decision is defined as “a decision by an employee, an employee’s dependent, or an employee’s spouse related to the use or intended use of a particular drug, device, or medical service, including contraception or fertility control, or the planned or intended initiation or termination of a pregnancy.”
Sex is one of 23 protected traits in the District. The updated D.C. Human Right Act (DCHRA) is enforced by the city’s Office of Human Rights (OHR) and prohibits employers, employment agencies, and labor organizations from engaging in discriminatory retaliation based on sex, wholly or partially.
OHR enforces the DCHRA to combat discrimination in housing, employment, public accommodations, and educational institutions. Enacted in 1977, the DCHRA aims to eliminate discrimination beyond individual merit and provide equal opportunities to all individuals to participate fully in the District’s economic, cultural, and intellectual life.
Potomac Legal Group represents employees facing any type of discrimination. If you believe you have faced discrimination in your workplace, then contact us to schedule a consultation to review your matter.
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