A former college student accused of rape has landed a high-ranking job at the US agency tasked with defending workers against workplace discrimination, including sex discrimination.
Benjamin North was hired as an assistant general counsel at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), where he will be responsible for guiding litigation and helping determine which cases to pursue. The move has raised eyebrows due to North's history of taking public stances against what he sees as the excesses of Title IX, a law that prohibits sex discrimination in federally funded education.
North was accused of rape by a fellow student at Catholic University during his time there, but the university found him guilty and suspended him for two years. He subsequently sued the university and claimed they had discriminated against him based on his gender. The case was settled out of court last year, with North agreeing to drop his lawsuit.
Despite being accused of rape, North has become an advocate for men's rights and has spoken out against what he sees as discriminatory policies at universities. In 2021, he wrote an op-ed piece arguing that a Biden administration nominee had "led the charge against students' civil rights and due process."
The EEOC employee who spoke to The Intercept on condition of anonymity expressed concern over North's hiring, saying it sends a signal that the agency is prioritizing cases that align with his personal views. "It's a concerning signal to have hired somebody with his background," they said.
The EEOC has been under scrutiny in recent years for its handling of cases related to sex discrimination and LGBTQ+ rights. The agency's leadership, led by Chair Andrea Lucas, has taken a more conservative stance on these issues, sparking criticism from some advocates who see it as a betrayal of the agency's mission.
Lucas has also signaled that she plans to focus the agency's efforts on protecting men's rights and rooting out what she calls "DEI-motivated" racial and sex discrimination. This shift in priorities has been met with criticism from many, who argue that it undermines the agency's core mission of enforcing anti-discrimination laws.
The hiring of North is just the latest example of how Trump-era appointees are reshaping the EEOC to align with their own personal views. Last April, Lucas appointed Shannon Royce, a longtime Christian conservative activist, as her chief of staff. Royce had been serving as president of the Christian Employers Alliance, which sued the EEOC in 2021 over its defense of LGBTQ+ rights.
The Intercept's editor-in-chief Ben Messig wrote in an article published on The Intercept that it has been a "devastating year" for journalism and that the agency is fighting back. However, he acknowledged that growing the reporting capacity of The Intercept will require the support of readers like you.
Benjamin North was hired as an assistant general counsel at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), where he will be responsible for guiding litigation and helping determine which cases to pursue. The move has raised eyebrows due to North's history of taking public stances against what he sees as the excesses of Title IX, a law that prohibits sex discrimination in federally funded education.
North was accused of rape by a fellow student at Catholic University during his time there, but the university found him guilty and suspended him for two years. He subsequently sued the university and claimed they had discriminated against him based on his gender. The case was settled out of court last year, with North agreeing to drop his lawsuit.
Despite being accused of rape, North has become an advocate for men's rights and has spoken out against what he sees as discriminatory policies at universities. In 2021, he wrote an op-ed piece arguing that a Biden administration nominee had "led the charge against students' civil rights and due process."
The EEOC employee who spoke to The Intercept on condition of anonymity expressed concern over North's hiring, saying it sends a signal that the agency is prioritizing cases that align with his personal views. "It's a concerning signal to have hired somebody with his background," they said.
The EEOC has been under scrutiny in recent years for its handling of cases related to sex discrimination and LGBTQ+ rights. The agency's leadership, led by Chair Andrea Lucas, has taken a more conservative stance on these issues, sparking criticism from some advocates who see it as a betrayal of the agency's mission.
Lucas has also signaled that she plans to focus the agency's efforts on protecting men's rights and rooting out what she calls "DEI-motivated" racial and sex discrimination. This shift in priorities has been met with criticism from many, who argue that it undermines the agency's core mission of enforcing anti-discrimination laws.
The hiring of North is just the latest example of how Trump-era appointees are reshaping the EEOC to align with their own personal views. Last April, Lucas appointed Shannon Royce, a longtime Christian conservative activist, as her chief of staff. Royce had been serving as president of the Christian Employers Alliance, which sued the EEOC in 2021 over its defense of LGBTQ+ rights.
The Intercept's editor-in-chief Ben Messig wrote in an article published on The Intercept that it has been a "devastating year" for journalism and that the agency is fighting back. However, he acknowledged that growing the reporting capacity of The Intercept will require the support of readers like you.
. It's not like they're supposed to be impartial or anything. I mean, who needs experience in handling sensitive cases when you've got a strong opinion on how the system should work? And let's give a round of applause to Andrea Lucas for shaking things up and prioritizing men's rights... because that's exactly what we need more of 
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. Anyway, I'm sure The Intercept's editor-in-chief was just being totally honest when he said it's been a "devastating year" for journalism 
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This is like, super problematic, right? I mean, North gets hired at the EEOC despite being accused of rape 
and having some pretty radical views on gender issues. It's like, what's next? Are we gonna start hiring people with a history of violent crimes to work in law enforcement? 
. I mean, don't get me wrong, we need to protect everyone's rights, but this feels like a case of "whack a mole" 
where the agency is just moving the problem around instead of actually addressing it.
. Shannon Royce as chief of staff is just another example of this. I mean, what happened to the old values of fairness and equality? 
... I mean, someone who's accused of rape lands a high-ranking job at an agency that's supposed to protect people from workplace discrimination? It's just not right. North's history speaks for itself - he was found guilty and suspended, but then went on to sue the university claiming they discriminated against him based on his gender... meanwhile, his accuser suffered what? No justice whatsoever.
It seems like they're more worried about protecting men's rights than actually enforcing anti-discrimination laws. That just doesn't add up.
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the EEOC is supposed to protect people from workplace discrimination, but now it's got someone who's basically on the other side of the issue 
meanwhile, innocent ppl are still getting screwed over by bad workplaces and nobody's doing anything about it 
. I mean, come on, a guy who's accused of rape lands a high-ranking job at an agency that's supposed to be protecting people from workplace discrimination? It just doesn't sit right with me. And now, with the chair signaling a shift towards protecting men's rights and rooting out what she calls "DEI-motivated" discrimination, I'm like, what's going on here? Are we really seeing a betrayal of the agency's core mission? 
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. I'm not sure what kind of signal this sends to others who might be in similar situations 
. Can't we just focus on protecting people from real harm instead of playing politics? 
and to have someone who's accused of it taking on a role that protects workers from sex discrimination just doesn't sit right with me. It feels like they're more worried about the agency aligning with North's personal views than actually doing their job 
.
. This just feels like a step backward, you know? 
. north's whole thing sounds super sketchy tbh, like he's tryna whitewash his own history. and now hes in a position where he gets 2 shape the policies of an org that's supposed 2 help people who've been wronged 
This hiring is super shady imo 
what's up with that?! He's all for men's rights and stuff but got caught in a major scandal back in college 
This whole thing is just gross 
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this is so messed up... i mean benjamin north gets hired at the eeco after being accused of rape? it's just not right 
and now he's gonna be helping decide which cases to pursue? that's just a recipe for disaster 