Notification of Interpretation of Section 188 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act

This Notification is to inform the public that, consistent with the Supreme Court's 2020 decision in Bostock v. Clayton County and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), beginning April 7, 2022, will interpret the prohibition on discrimination on the basis of sex that is codified in Section 188 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to include discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. DOL will continue to interpret and enforce Section 188's prohibition on discrimination on the basis of sex to include discrimination on the basis of gender identity and transgender status. This interpretation will guide DOL's Civil Rights Center in processing complaints and conducting investigations and compliance reviews, but does not determine the outcome in any particular case or set of facts.