On July 1, 2022, amendments to Chicago’s Human Rights Ordinance will go into effect. In April 2022, Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and the Commission on Human Relations amended the Chicago Human Rights Ordinance, adding additional protections for those subjected to sexual harassment. The amendments also modified definitions of “sexual harassment” and “sexual orientation,” added new written policy and training requirements for all employers in the city, and increased penalties for violations of the ordinance.

The changes are a part of Mayor Lightfoot’s new strategic plan, titled the “Citywide Strategic Plan to Address Gender-based Violence and Human Trafficking.” According to the mayor’s office, the enhancements also “seek to increase collective accountability across communities and within workplaces and dispel the myth that sexual harassment is a personal issue.”

Enhancement to Definition of Sexual Harassment to Include “Sexual Misconduct”

The definition of “sexual harassment” in the Chicago Human Rights Ordinance has been expanded to include “(iii) sexual misconduct, which means any behavior of a sexual nature which also involves coercion, abuse of authority, or misuse of an individual’s employment position.”

Pursuant to the amendments, “sexual harassment” means any (i) unwelcome sexual advances or unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature or (ii) requests for sexual favors or conduct of a sexual nature when (1) submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or...

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