Supreme Court will Rule on Whether Civil Rights Act Protects Queer People
Addison Herron-Wheeler is OUT FRONT's co-publisher and editor-in-chief and friend…
The U.S. Supreme court will finally rule on whether or not LGBTQ folks are included under the protections the Civil Rights Act provides.
According to New Now Next, the Supreme Court agreed today to review two separate cases based on discrimination that could end up determining the future of this ruling. Altitude Express Inc. v. Zarda was a case in New York that ruled in favor of a gay man who was fired for his orientation. Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia found in favor of the employer of a gay man.
The Supreme Court will also determine if trans folks are protected from workplace discrimination. The claim for trans protections is that discriminating against a trans person is the same type of discrimination as that of cis men against cis women.
“In order for America to live up to its promise of liberty, equality, and church-state separation, we must not allow religious freedom to be weaponized to license harm to others,” said Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United, a group that fights to uphold the separation of church and state. “Through these cases, the Supreme Court has an opportunity to make it clear that LGBTQ Americans cannot be mistreated because their existence offends some people’s religious beliefs. The Supreme Court should make it abundantly clear that no one’s rights in America hinge on someone else’s religious views.”
Lambda Legal also chimed in about queer freedom and rights.
All of queer and allied America will be holding our breath for this historic decision, which will very definitely impact the rights of our entire community.
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Addison Herron-Wheeler is OUT FRONT's co-publisher and editor-in-chief and friend to dogs everywhere. She enjoys long walks in the darkness away from any sources of sunlight, rainy days, and painfully dry comedy. She also covers cannabis and heavy metal, and is author of Wicked Woman: Women in Metal from the 1960s to Now and Respirator, a short story collection.