In a landmark 6-3 decision from the United States Supreme Court, LGBTQ employees were recognized as protected individuals under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  In the opinion, authored by Justice Neil Gorsuch, the Supreme Court held that “[a]n employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender violates Title VII.”  Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, 590 U.S. _____ (2020) (Docket No. 17-1618) (June 15, 2020).

In a thirty-two (32) page opinion available HERE, the Supreme Court stated plainly on page thirty-two (32) how the Civil Rights Act of 1964 applies to the LGBTQ community.  “Ours is a society of written laws. Judges are not free to overlook plain statutory commands on the strength of nothing more than suppositions about intentions or guesswork about expectations. In Title VII, Congress adopted broad language making it illegal for an employer to rely on an employee’s sex when deciding to fire that employee. We do not hesitate to recognize today a necessary consequence of that legislative choice: An employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender defies the law.” Bostock, 590 U.S. at _____ (2020) (Docket No. 17-1618) (June 15, 2020).

Oral argument for this case may be found HERE.

With this decision our legal system takes a step forward towards progress.  The law is meant to protect everyone, and the Supreme Court’s decision is a step in the right direction.

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