{"id":57763,"date":"2025-04-01T15:54:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-01T15:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/?post_type=publications&#038;p=57763"},"modified":"2025-12-31T16:07:24","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T16:07:24","slug":"new-eeoc-and-doj-guidance-regarding-affinity-groups","status":"publish","type":"publications","link":"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/publications\/new-eeoc-and-doj-guidance-regarding-affinity-groups\/","title":{"rendered":"New EEOC and DOJ Guidance Regarding Affinity Groups"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dinsmore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Affinity-groups-alert-Header.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination based on protected characteristics, including race and sex.&nbsp; However, Title VII does not define Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (\u201cDEI\u201d) in the context of DEI-related initiatives, policies, programs and practices in the workplace.&nbsp; Nevertheless, in recent years, many employers, universities and other institutions throughout the country have adopted DEI measures relating to racial minorities and female and religious employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Recently, the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (\u201cEEOC\u201d) and Department of Justice (\u201cDOJ\u201d) issued joint technical assistance guidance addressing an employee\u2019s recourse against discrimination related to DEI policies, programs and practices.&nbsp; The EEOC also released a frequently asked questions (\u201cFAQ\u201d) technical assistance document clarifying certain aspects of Title VII\u2019s scope.&nbsp; These releases are emblematic of President Donald Trump\u2019s endeavor to crack down on and end unlawful DEI initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The guidance indicated that using quotas or attempting to \u201cbalance\u201d a workforce by protected traits such as race and sex would be unlawful, emphasizing Title VII\u2019s prohibition against \u201climiting, segregating, or classifying employees\u201d based on protected characteristics in a way that \u201caffects their status or deprives them of employment opportunities.\u201d&nbsp; The guidance noted that, as a result, an employer\u2019s limiting \u201cto certain protected groups\u201d membership in workplace groups such as Employee Resource Groups, or other employee affinity groups, would be prohibited.&nbsp; Likewise, disparate treatment, including the exclusion of certain protected groups from mentoring or sponsorship programs, training or fellowships and hiring and promotion would be unlawful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The EEOC\u2019s FAQ underlined its position that Title VII\u2019s protections apply to all workers, regardless of whether they belong to a minority group, are women or are members of any other protected subset of individuals.&nbsp; The EEOC\u2019s FAQ also expressly stated its current position that there is no such thing as \u201creverse\u201d discrimination and \u201cthere is only discrimination.\u201d&nbsp; Further, the EEOC suggested that a business necessity or interest, to include clients\u2019 or customers\u2019 preferences, in \u201cdiversity\u201d are not viable justifications for intentional discrimination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Andrea Lucas, Acting Chair of the EEOC, commented on the current state of Title VII as enforced by the EEOC and DOJ.&nbsp; Lucas remarked, \u201cFar too many employers defend certain types of race or sex preferences as good, provided they are motivated by business interests in \u2018[DEI].\u2019 But no matter an employer\u2019s motive, there is no \u2018good,\u2019 or even acceptable, race or sex discrimination.\u201d&nbsp; Lucas then invoked the words of Justice Clarence Thomas\u2019s concurrence in the Supreme Court\u2019s 2023 <em>Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College <\/em>decision, in emphasizing that \u201ctwo discriminatory wrongs cannot make a right.\u201d&nbsp; Lucas further opined on \u201csome very popular types of DEI programs,\u201d for which she stated the current interpretation of Title VII and DEI initiatives poses \u201csome serious implications.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The EEOC and DOJ\u2019s guidance demonstrates a significant turn in the tides for DEI measures in the workplace nationwide.&nbsp; Employers can expect the EEOC and DOJ to ramp up enforcement efforts aimed at eliminating DEI initiatives and similar programs that utilize race-, ethnicity- or sex-based criteria, as well as affinity groups that exclude individuals outside their intended audience or provide benefits, training or mentorship only to those within them.&nbsp; Employers should evaluate existing programs and policies geared toward groups generally considered historically marginalized to ensure they align with the EEOC and DOJ\u2019s current interpretation of Title VII and do not result in an adverse employment action to individuals not considered part of these groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are an employer maintaining or considering implementing an Employee Resource Group or other employee affinity group, and have questions about how to remain complaint with applicable EEOC and Department of Justice guidance and federal discrimination laws, please reach out to your Dinsmore labor and employment attorney.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination based on protected characteristics, including race and sex.&nbsp; However, Title VII does not define Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (\u201cDEI\u201d) in the context of DEI-related initiatives, policies, programs and practices in the workplace.&nbsp; Nevertheless, in recent years, many employers, universities and other institutions throughout\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"publication-type":[12],"class_list":["post-57763","publications","type-publications","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","publication-type-legal-alerts"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.5 (Yoast SEO v26.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>New EEOC and DOJ Guidance Regarding Affinity Groups - Dinsmore &amp; Shohl<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"New EEOC and DOJ Guidance Regarding Affinity Groups Read insights and legal analysis from attorneys at Dinsmore &amp; 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