In a landmark decision by the Supreme Court on June 15 2020, they ruled in a 6-3 decision that Title VII of the Civil Rights code dealing with workplace discrimination protections did extend to those who identify with LGBT.
Title VII of the Civil Rights code focuses on discrimination in the workplace. “Title VII prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin.” When these articles and titles were first established under the Civil Rights Bill of 1964, gender identity wasn’t considered as it mainly dealt with racial and sexual discrimination as they were considered more in the moment issues.[1]
As time wore on, twenty-one states have extended these protections at a state level to include sexual identity, sexual preference and/or sexual orientation into their protected classes. This ruling now applies this to the rest of the country.
Considering the current atmosphere, many found this move a welcome surprise. In light of this ruling, states must now extend their current discrimination standards to include sexual identity and orientation.
[1] https://www.eeoc.gov/statutes/title-vii-civil-rights-act-1964#:~:text=Title%20VII%20prohibits%20employment%20discrimination,Rights%20Act%20of%201991%20(Pub.