EEOC Adds Non-Binary Gender Option to Discrimination Intake Form

June 9, 2022

This spring, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced that individuals may select a non-binary gender marker, “X”, on the intake process when filing a charge of discrimination. According to EEOC Chair Charlotte A. Borrows, the intake form should represent all employees and all members of the LGBTQ+ community. The EEOC believes this move is critical in “advanc[ing] [its] mission to prevent and remedy employee discrimination… including those who do not identify as male or female.” To reflect the full gender spectrum, the EEOC will add “X” options to the “voluntary demographic questions” in the EEOC online portal and include the “Mx.” salutation in the prefix options.

According to the White House, the letter “X” is quickly becoming the symbol utilized by the U.S. government to indicate gender-neutrality. Also recently, the State Department introduced that U.S citizens can select “X” as their preferred gender. For more information on the federal government’s incorporation of neutral pronouns, see Fact Sheet- Biden-Harris Administration Advances Equality and Visibility for Transgender Americans.