In a 6 - 3 ruling Monday, 06/15/2020, the Supreme Court ruled that gay, lesbian, and transgender employees are protected from discrimination by an employer under the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The decision was a victory for the LGBTQIA community, with Justice Neil Gorsuch, the Trump Administration's first Supreme Court appointee, writing the majority opinion. "Today," Gorsuch said, "we must decide whether an employer can fire someone simply for being homosexual or transgender. The answer is clear," directly rebuking the Trump Administration, which had sided with the employers in the three cases before the court. Joining in the majority decision were Chief Justice John Roberts, RBG, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. Even though Trump recently used his executive powers to strip transgender individuals of previous protections, Trump called the decision "very powerful".
Currently, nearly half the states have no protection for LGBTQIA employees. The Supreme Court Justices have now provided federal law protection to LGBTQIA employees from firing or other adverse employment decisions based on sexual orientation or gender identity. While there may be legal bumps still ahead, today's ruling means that all LGBTQIA employees have legal protection from employer discrimination. "Today, by affirming that sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination are prohibited under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Supreme Court has confirmed the simple but profoundly American idea that every human being should be treated with respect and dignity." former Vice President, Joe Biden praised today's decision.
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