June 15, 2020 — New York, NY — In a monumental and historic decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that LGBT people are protected by Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The act prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of sex, and served as a cornerstone in the fight for women’s equality in the workplace for decades.

Sonia Ossorio, NOW-NY President said, “This is a historic victory for LGBTQ people and a powerful indictment of the backward thinking of the Trump administration, which has done nothing but aim to reverse civil rights protections and equality for women, the LGBTQ community, people of color, and immigrants. The Supreme Court ruling is a sound rejection of his distorted view of America, which ignores the undeniable majority support for broader acceptance and equality.

The June 15, 2020, Supreme Court opinion, written by Trump-appointed Justice Neil Gorsuch, has clarified that “the basis of sex” does include sexual orientation and gender identity. The ruling declared, “An employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender defies the law.”

The ruling is a stark contrast to a number of Trump-era rules and regulations that explicitly rolled back transgender rights in education and healthcare. Before the ruling, a person could have legally fired simply for being gay, bisexual, or transgender in 26 states.

NOW-NYC ignites change for the women and girls of New York. We advance laws, promote women in politics, fight for reproductive justice, challenge discrimination and violence against women, and act NOW.

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