Today, in a historic 6 to 3 ruling, the Supreme Court affirmed that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 extends employment nondiscrimination protections to LGBTQ workers. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18), New York’s first out Member of Congress, released the following statement:
“This is a historic day. The Supreme Court has finally recognized what so many of us know to be true – in America, no worker should be fired or denied a job just because of who they are or who they love,” said Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney. “Mark my words: this victory is just the beginning. The Senate needs to pass the Equality Act and codify full protections under the law for all LGBTQ Americans.”
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination based on race, religion, national origin and sex. The ruling today extends protections on the basis of sex to a person’s sexual orientation and gender identity. Two cases, Bostock v. Clayton County, GA and Altitude Express Inc. v. Zarda, centered around workers fired for disclosing their sexual orientation in the workplace. A third case, R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, centered on Aimee Stephens, who was fired from the funeral home she worked at after letting her employer know she intended to live truthfully as a transgender woman. Aimee died last month, before her case was decided.