EEOC finds Planned Parenthood segregated employees by race, Illinois affiliate agrees to $500K settlement

Planned Parenthood of Illinois has been ordered to pay $500,000 following an investigation by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which found that the entity “engaged in unlawful discrimination and harassment against White employees.”

“Planned Parenthood of Illinois (Planned Parenthood) violated federal law when they segregated employees by race, subjected White employees to harassment, and engaged in disparate treatment against White employees regarding terms, conditions, and privileges of employment, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) found as part of a class investigation into charges brought by multiple Planned Parenthood employees,” the agency said in a March 19 announcement. 

The EEOC said it found that Planned Parenthood of Illinois had mandatory “affinity caucuses” that were separated by race, where employees of other races were barred from participating, and that a Planned Parenthood manager made racially harassing statements. 

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Planned Parenthood also required that “all employees attend DEI-related training sessions which involved repeated harassing and derogatory statements targeting White employees, including that they ‘are White and do not feel racism the same way non-White patients feel,’ and that ‘white supremacy is exerted at every level of oppression (individual, interpersonal, organizational, and societal).’”

Staff were also told they had to attend one to two-hour sessions of segregated racial affinity groups or DEI training, and White employees were refused access to time off that was given to Black employees.

The EEOC said that the allegations violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

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“Segregating employees by race violates the core promise of our nation’s civil rights laws,”  Andrea Lucas, EEOC chair, said in a statement. “Title VII guarantees equal treatment for every employee and prohibits race discrimination in America’s workplaces. Those protections equally apply to White workers.”

Lucas added that, “There is no DEI exception to Title VII’s requirements. Employers who deliberately separate workers or subject them to harassment because of their race, including White employees, violate federal law. The Commission will continue to enforce these protections to ensure equal opportunity for all.”

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The EEOC also said it is “pleased” that Planned Parenthood of Illinois dismissed a manager whose conduct was uncovered by the investigation.

In response to a request for comment, the EEOC referred Fox News Digital to its original statement. Fox News Digital reached out to Planned Parenthood of Illinois for comment.