EEOC Judge Challenges Trump Administration's LGBTQ+ Policies
Karen Ortiz criticizes directives pausing LGBTQ+ discrimination cases and calls for resistance to 'illegal mandates.'
- Karen Ortiz, an administrative judge at the EEOC, publicly condemned directives to halt LGBTQ+ cases and comply with a Trump executive order recognizing only two sexes.
- Ortiz's mass email to over 1,000 colleagues questioned the agency's leadership and urged resistance to policies she deemed unlawful.
- Her email was deleted, her account access was revoked, and she received a formal reprimand for violating communication policies.
- Ortiz's actions highlight growing tension within federal agencies over the Trump administration's cost-cutting measures and policy shifts.
- Despite risks to her career, Ortiz stands by her actions, viewing them as a moral and legal obligation to uphold civil rights protections.