WASHINGTON, D.C.: The head of the U.S. agency charged with enforcing workplace civil rights has drawn sharp attention after publicly encouraging white men to report alleged race- or sex-based discrimination on the job. This move has ignited debate over the agency's priorities.

Andrea Lucas, chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and a prominent critic of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, issued the call in a post on X.

"Are you a white male who has experienced discrimination at work based on your race or sex? You may have a claim to recover money under federal civil rights laws," Lucas wrote. The post urged eligible workers to contact the agency "as soon as possible" and linked to an EEOC fact sheet on "DEI-related discrimination."

The message, which garnered millions of views, appeared roughly two hours after Vice President JD Vance shared an article on X that he said "describes the evil of DEI and its consequences." Lucas replied to Vance's post, saying: "Absolutely right @JDVance. And precisely because this widespread, systemic, unlawful discrimination primarily harmed white men, elites didn't just turn a blind eye; they celebrated it. Absolutely unacceptable; unlawful; immoral."

She added that the EEOC "won't rest until this discrimination is eliminated." Neither Lucas' agency nor Vance responded immediately to requests for comment.

Lucas has been reshaping the EEOC's agenda since being named acting chair in January, emphasizing what she has described as "rooting out unlawful DEI-motivated race and sex discrimination," in line with President Donald Trump's anti-DEI executive orders. Trump formally named Lucas as EEOC chair in November.

Earlier this year, the EEOC and the Department of Justice issued two "technical assistance" documents outlining what could constitute "DEI-related Discrimination at Work" and how employees could file complaints. The guidance warned that practices such as training programs, employee resource groups, and fellowships could, depending on their design, violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which bars employment discrimination based on race or sex.

Former EEOC commissioners have criticised the documents for misleadingly suggesting that DEI initiatives are inherently legally risky.

David Glasgow, executive director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging at NYU School of Law, said Lucas' social media posts show a "fundamental misunderstanding of what DEI is."

"It's really much more about creating a culture in which you get the most out of everyone who you're bringing on board, where everyone experiences fairness and equal opportunity, including white men and members of other groups," Glasgow said.

The Meltzer Center tracks workplace DEI-related lawsuits, including 57 discrimination cases. Glasgow said that while individual cases occur, he has not seen "any kind of systematic evidence that white men are being discriminated against."

He noted that white men remain overrepresented among Fortune 500 CEOs, senior corporate leadership, and members of Congress.

"If DEI has been this engine of discrimination against white men, I have to say it hasn't really been doing a very good job at achieving that," Glasgow said.

Jenny Yang, a former EEOC chair and now a partner at Outten & Golden, called it "unusual" and "problematic" for the agency's leader to single out one demographic group.

"It suggests some sort of priority treatment," Yang said. "That's not something that sounds to me like equal opportunity for all."

Yang added that discrimination complaints from transgender workers have been deprioritised or dropped, arguing that while the EEOC has limited resources, "treating charges differently based on workers' identities goes against the mission of the agency."

"It worries me that a message is being sent that the EEOC only cares about some workers and not others," she said.