Former EEOC Official Sues Agency for Anti-LGBTQ+ Discrimination and Hostile Work Environment 

Seawright Files Complaint Against Andrea Lucas, EEOC, After Agency Rejects Administrative Complaint 

San Francisco, CA – Katz Banks Kumin LLP announced today that it has filed a lawsuit in federal court on behalf of Marc Seawright, the former Director of Information Governance and Strategy at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), against Andrea Lucas, the Chair of the EEOC. Mr. Seawright, a queer, transgender man, alleges that Ms. Lucas subjected him to a hostile work environment, discrimination, and retaliation in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, resulting in his constructive discharge from the EEOC.  

The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, follows the exhaustion of the EEOC’s administrative process. Mr. Seawright filed his initial administrative complaint in March 2025, alleging that he was forced to participate in the systematic erasure of transgender and nonbinary identities from EEOC materials. His complaint alleges that Ms. Lucas’s actions to implement President Trump’s anti-transgender Executive Order 14168, which include disbanding an LGBTQ+ employee resource group, censoring of information about LGBTQ+ rights, erasing of LGBTQ+ people from EEOC  materials, dismantling a self-service pronoun application, and refusing to the process charges alleging gender identity discrimination charges, violate federal law.  

“Marc Seawright did everything that the law asks of an employee who faces discrimination at work. He raised concerns internally, filed an EEO complaint, and participated in a process that he believed was at the core of the EEOC’s work,” said Rebecca Peterson-Fisher, counsel for Mr. Seawright. “It is both ironic and infuriating that the Chair of the agency tasked with upholding our anti-discrimination laws now actively participates in discrimination. Mr. Seawright is suing because he believes that trans and LGBTQ+ people deserve a workplace that follows the law.” 

After raising his concerns internally and filing an EEO complaint in March 2025, Mr. Seawright further alleges that he was marginalized from his work responsibilities, excluded from necessary meetings, and had his network permissions revoked. Unwilling to further engage with the implementation of policies that would be used to illegally discriminate against himself and the community to which he belongs, Mr. Seawright resigned in June 2025 and alleges that this was a constructive discharge.  

In his complaint, Mr. Seawright seeks declaratory relief, back pay and front pay, and compensatory damages. 

Mr. Seawright is represented in this matter by Rebecca Peterson-Fisher, Carolyn Wheeler, Rachel E. Green, and Isabel Rothberg of Katz Banks Kumin LLP.   

PRESS AVAILABILITY: Mr. Seawright and his attorneys are available for comment, including on-camera availability. Please contact Communications Director Alex Bradley for scheduling at bradley@katzbanks.com or 202-552-5361.   

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The attorneys of Katz Banks Kumin are nationally recognized leaders in the areas of whistleblower law, discrimination and sexual harassment law, wage and hour law, employment law, and civil rights and civil liberties matters. They are dogged advocates for their clients and are highly regarded by their adversaries for their tenacious representation. The firm handles cases nationwide with offices in Washington, D.C., New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco.