June 15, 2020 will become an historic day for the many Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender people who have waited over 50 years to be given the same legal protection from discrimination in the workplace as other disenfranchised groups in America. The Supreme Court of our United States voted 6 to 3 to include Gay and Transgender people in the Civil Rights legislation of 1964.
This legislation includes the well-known wording in Title VII that states that it is illegal “for an employer to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual, or otherwise to discriminate against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of such individual’s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.”
Justice Gorsuch delivered the opinion of the Court, in which Justices Roberts, Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor, Kagan joined. Justice Kavanaugh’s dissenting opinion was based on his belief that the matter should have been settled in Congress rather than in the Court. However, the language in his dissenting opinion was supportive:
“Not withstanding my concern about the Court’s transgression of the Constitution’s separation of power, it is appropriate to acknowledge the important victory achieved today by gay and lesbian Americans. Millions of gay and lesbian Americans have worked hard for many decades to achieve equal treatment in fact and in law. They have exhibited extraordinary vision, tenacity, and grit–battling often steep odds in the legislative and judicial arenas, not to mention their daily lives. They have advanced powerful policy arguments and can take pride in today’s results.”
At Inclusity we believe that everyone in this country deserves fair and equal treatment under the law and in action. We stand proud with our Gay and Lesbian and Transgender brothers and sisters to celebrate this important day in our nation’s history!
