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The United States Supreme Court ruled in Bostock v. Clayton County that employers cannot discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. We already enjoyed these protections here in California thanks to a more enlightened legislature, but it is important to know that now all people throughout the land are protected against this type of employment discrimination. These protections include prohibiting discrimination in hiring, firing and promotion decisions as well as protecting against harassment. When combined with the Court’s recent decision in Obergefell v. Hodges recognizing the rights of gay and lesbian people to marry, it confirms Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s statement: “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” The Bostock decision was unexpected because the composition of the Supreme Court had changed in what pundits have characterized as a more conservative direction.
At least with respect to LGBTQ rights in the workplace, it appears that notions of equality and justice have won the day. There is still much more work to do to ensure that the LGBTQ community has equal rights, but for today we rejoice that throughout the United States LGBTQ employees have equal protections in the workplace! If you feel that your have been treated differently because of your LGBTQ identity, please call us at the California Civil Rights Law Group (415)453-4740 so we can help you know and fight for your rights.
To read the entire opinion, please go to the following address:
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/19pdf/17-1618_hfci.pdf