Erin Reed

1. Far right federal judge Matthew Kacsmaryk has just vacated all EEOC protections for gay and trans people in the work place. He says protections from "being fired" do not mean they are protected from harassment by Title VII. I cover this insane ruling here. Subscribe to support my journalism.

2. On Thursday, Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk—a far-right federal judge in the Northern District of Texas with a record of aligning with the GOP’s most extreme legal positions—issued a ruling declaring that Title VII no longer protects LGBTQ+ people from workplace discrimination.

3. The decision directly contradicts the Supreme Court’s 2020 ruling, Bostock v. Clayton County, which held that discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity is sex discrimination. Kacsmaryk’s ruling marks one of the most alarming judicial rollbacks of LGBTQ+ rights in recent memory

4. The case was brought against the EEOC by the state of Texas alongside the Heritage Foundation, a central force behind Project 2025—an aggressive right-wing policy blueprint that explicitly calls for rolling back LGBTQ+ protections in federal law.

5. Judge Kacsmaryk pointed to the Texas Department of Agriculture’s current employee policy, which requires “employees to comply with this dress code in a manner consistent with their biological gender,” specifying that “men may wear pants” and “women may wear dresses, skirts, or pants.”

6. The judge reached a verdict 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”:

7. Judge Kacsmaryk ordered the complete removal of all references to sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes under Title VII. His ruling declares that “all language defining ‘sex’ in Title VII to include ‘sexual orientation’ and ‘gender identity’” must be stripped.

8. This isn’t Kacsmaryk’s first foray into far-right legal activism—it’s his trademark. He’s become the go-to jurist for plaintiffs looking to turn extremist ideology into binding precedent. He’s the one who tried to revoke FDA approval of mifepristone, a safe and widely used abortion medication.

9. He’s ruled against LGBTQ+ protections in the Affordable Care Act. He even tried to force Planned Parenthood to pay $2 billion to Texas and Louisiana—a ruling so outrageous that even the deeply conservative Fifth Circuit tossed it. Now, he’s taking aim at Title VII itsel.

10. Lastly, EITM is an award-winning LGBTQ+ media outlet covering these issues every day. You can subscribe to support our journalism at www.erininthemorning.com.