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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

As a nation, we experienced incalculable loss that day. Even so, the spirit of the country was revealed in all those who showed up to rescue, serve & rebuild. Today, it is critical that we remain focused on protecting the civil rights of everyone—particularly the most vulnerable.

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

In response to hateful, post-9/11 incidents, the EEOC, DOJ & OFCCP issued a joint statement reaffirming their commitment to preventing & remedying discrimination, harassment & violence directed at workers who are or are perceived to be Arab, Muslim, Southeast Asian, or Sikh.

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

I’m also thinking of EEOC staff whose lives were forever changed. At the New York District Office, EEOC personnel were thankfully safely evacuated, though the office was destroyed. Resilient NYDO staff worked hard to reestablish the office, reconstruct files & serve NYC workers.

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Today marks 25 years since 9/11—a day of violence, immeasurable loss, and heroism that altered our country’s history. We remember and honor the lives of those we lost that day, and in the years since, as a result of the destruction.

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

The rights the EEOC enforces exist thanks to the courage and tenacity of the civil rights movement leaders and ordinary people alike who marched, organized, protested, and sacrificed for a better future. Today, the agency must stay true to its storied mission.

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

This history is particularly relevant at a time when EEOC has proposed changes to the federal sector EEO process that would weaken civil rights protections & access to justice for federal workers.

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

A. Phillip Randolph’s work led President Roosevelt to sign Executive Order 8802, the first action to ban employment discrimination based on race, creed, color, or national origin in the defense industry and the federal government. t.ly/L0zgg

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Executive Order 8802: Prohibition of Discrimination in the Defense Industry (1941)

EnlargeDownload Link Citation: Executive Order 8802 dated June 25, 1941, in which President Franklin D. Roosevelt prohibits discrimination in the defense program; 6/25/1941; Executive Orders, 1862 - 2...

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Renowned labor leader and civil rights activist A. Phillip Randolph helped organize the 1963 March on Washington. He first imagined a march in 1941 to protest discrimination against African Americans—who had been barred from jobs created by WWII and the New Deal.

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Today marks the 63rd anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, when over 250,000 people from across the country gathered to protest racial discrimination and inequity. The historic march led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

You can read the NPRM here: t.ly/9A_eL. I encourage federal workers, advocates, and those with experience in the federal sector process to weigh in.

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

I voted against the proposal because the changes would weaken equal opportunity & access to justice for federal employees. The federal sector process is already challenging. This proposal would make it even harder for workers and more burdensome for federal agencies and courts.

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Today, I voted against the EEOC’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to make significant revisions to the process for federal workers to follow in seeking to vindicate their workplace civil rights. Read my full statement here: lnkd.in/p/gVqc9_rn

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OCK 1614 Statement | Kalpana Kotagal

The EEOC has voted on a proposal to make significant revisions to the process for federal workers to follow in seeking to vindicate their workplace civil rights. I voted against the Notice of Proposed...

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Despite today’s attacks on workforce data collection, pay data remains a valuable tool for employers to take a closer look at their practices & implement policies that remedy & prevent such wage gaps. Learn more about the Equal Pay Act here: t.ly/_Y-5K

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Equal Pay/Compensation Discrimination

Equal Pay and Compensation Discrimination

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

This wage gap translates to losses over $28,000 for Black women each year. Over a 40-year career, Black women who work full-time, year-round could lose over $1.1 million. Studies show the gender wage gap has widened for the second year in a row: t.ly/Jt35n

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Wage Gap Data Widens for Second Consecutive Year, First Time Since 1960 - National Women's Law Center

Washington, D.C. – The wage gap continues to widen between women and men, and remains worse for Black women and other women of color working full time, year-round, according to an annual report by the...

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

The persistent wage gap affecting Black women stems from multiple systemic factors, including discrimination in hiring & promotions, occupational segregation, unpaid caregiving responsibilities, and lack of pay transparency.

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Today is Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, representing how far into the current year a Black woman must work to earn what White, non-Hispanic men earned in the previous year. Black women working full-time, year-round are paid only 65 cents for every dollar White men make.

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Given the significance of these proposed changes, I encourage stakeholders to take advantage of this opportunity to be heard.

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

On August 11, external stakeholders will have an opportunity to testify at a public hearing about this proposal. Stakeholders will also have just 30 days to submit public comments through www.regulations.gov.

regulations.gov

Regulations.gov

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Today, the Commission held a public meeting on a proposal to rescind EEO-1 through EEO-6 demographic data collection. A full transcript from the meeting will be available online. See a truncated version of my public remarks here: t.ly/rM3io

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EEO-1 Remarks | Kalpana Kotagal

Today, the Commission held a public meeting on a proposal to rescind EEO-1 through EEO-6 demographic data collection. A truncated version of my public remarks is attached. A transcript from the meetin...

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

EEOC posted a proposed Strategic Plan for FY2026-2030 on Regulations.gov. The proposed Plan is open for public comment through Sunday, July 19. I urge all interested members of the public to submit comments by that date. www.regulations.gov/docket/EEOC-...

regulations.gov

Regulations.gov

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

I’m proud to serve with career staff to advance the EEOC’s long tradition of protecting & remedying discrimination & advancing equal opportunity for all.

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

I remain deeply committed to ensuring all workers, including the most vulnerable, can rely on the EEOC to vindicate their rights. And I will do all I can to ensure the EEOC stays true to its storied mission.

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Right now, it is incumbent on us to articulate an affirmative vision of civil rights grounded in history and the law. There remains much work to do to ensure the EEOC is truly accessible to all workers, especially the most vulnerable among us.

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

We have not yet achieved the promise of the Civil Rights Act. Workplace discrimination remains pervasive, thus EEOC plays a crucial role in the fight for freedom & civil rights. In FY25, EEOC received 88K charges of discrimination & career staff secured $660 mil for 17K workers.

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

The rights that the EEOC enforces came about through courageous work over years of protest, organizing & activism. Movement leaders & ordinary people sacrificed, bled, and lost their lives so that agencies like the EEOC could exist to protect workers.

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

As we celebrate the agency’s 61st anniversary and near the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, I’m reminded how the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the EEOC reflect our nation’s highest ideals.

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

61 years ago today, the EEOC opened its doors. The EEOC was established by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and was born of the enduring struggle for civil rights.

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

I commend the EEOC’s dedicated career staff for their diligent work investigating and litigating employment discrimination claims and their commitment to the agency’s mission. www.eeoc.gov/newsroom/eeo...

eeoc.gov

EEOC Sues Dana Sealing Manufacturing for Illegally Acquiring Genetic Information

DANVILLE, Ky.

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

GINA also contains provisions which make it unlawful to retaliate against an employee or applicant for exercising their rights or opposing discrimination.

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

GINA prohibits the use of genetic information in employment decisions (e.g., hiring, firing, pay, advancement, & other terms, conditions & privileges of employment) and restricts employers and other entities from acquiring genetic information unless very narrow exceptions apply.

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Under the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), it’s illegal to discriminate against employees or applicants because of genetic information—including family medical history.

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Last week, the EEOC filed suit against an auto parts manufacturer alleging the company required applicants to provide genetic information (family medical history) in violation of GINA. The suit arises from a Commissioner Charge I filed on behalf of aggrieved individuals.

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

I want to thank @acslaw.bsky.social, ACS President Phil Brest, moderator @chrisgeidner.bsky.social, and my fellow panel participants for sharing their insights and for their work & dedication during this turbulent time.

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Also, change doesn’t happen from the top down—it happens because of individual acts of conscience and communities coming together. All of us need to act in ways in which we can, even if only incrementally, help protect civil rights.

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

As history reminds us, progress isn't linear. It's far from it. It ebbs and flows, it goes backwards and forwards, but our action in the face of backsliding can and often does make the difference.

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

On Saturday, I had the pleasure of participating in the 2026 ACS National Convention closing plenary panel. I greatly appreciated our discussion about the role that each and every person can play to “stay in the fight” and effectuate positive change.

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

The words of Dorothy Height endure: “We must always be a strong presence, an unrelenting force working for equality and justice until the freedom gates are fully open.”

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

As we celebrate Juneteenth and honor the profound contributions of Black Americans & their ancestors to the cause of human freedom, I’m reminded that the struggle for freedom and equality persists.

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Tomorrow is Juneteenth—commemorating the day in 1865 when enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas finally got word that they were free. I honor the resilience of Black Americans & their ancestors who have triumphed & thrived in the face of immense systemic oppression.

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Strong enforcement of civil rights protections for LGBTQ+ workers, pay transparency, inclusive policies, combating systemic barriers, data-driven solutions, and more, are essential to closing these gaps and ensuring pay equity for all.

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

As the EEOC’s Republican majority abandons the agency’s obligations to protect LGBTQ+ workers, these wage gaps may be further exacerbated. The majority’s actions are on the wrong side of the law and the wrong side of history.

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Factors such as employment discrimination and lack of pay transparency contribute to these persistent wage gaps, which have far-reaching consequences for LGBTQ+ individuals like magnified economic insecurity, mental health strain, and reduced retirement savings.

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Today is LGBTQIA+ Equal Pay Awareness Day. Studies show that LGBTQ+ workers are paid between 10% - 32% less than their straight and cisgender counterparts. Those wage gaps compound for trans women, non-binary individuals, and LGBTQ+ workers of color.

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Kalpana Kotagal @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

The joy of celebrating Pride helps to steel all of us who believe the law should be enforced to protect LGBTQ+ workers for the work ahead. There’s much to be done to ensure a safer, more just society.

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