Top US court backs protection for LGBT workers

The Supreme Court ruled Monday that a landmark civil rights law protects gay and lesbian people from discrimination in employment, a resounding victory for LGBT rights from a conservative court.   

The court decided by a 6-3 vote that a key provision of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 known as Title VII that bars job discrimination because of sex, among other reasons, encompasses bias against gay and lesbian workers.   

Justice Neil Gorsuch, appointed by President Donald Trump, authored the majority opinion, which he was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts.   

‘An employer who fires an individual for being homosexual or transgender fires that person for traits or actions it would not have questioned in members of a different sex, Gorsuch wrote.   

‘Sex plays a necessary and undisguisable role in the decision, exactly what Title VII forbids,’ he added.   
The 6-3 ruling represented the biggest moment for LGBT rights in the United States since the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in 2015.   

More than half of LGBT+ Americans live in states without explicit workplace protections, according to U.S. think tank Movement Advancement Project, meaning they could be fired or harassed for being gay or trans and have little legal recourse.   LGBT+ rights have become increasingly contentious under the administration of President Donald Trump, who has rolled back some initiatives, such as trans people enlisting in the military.   

Last week the Trump administration announced a rollback of guidance implemented during the administration of President Barack Obama which protected trans people from facing discrimination in healthcare.   
US, (Daily Mail), 15 June 2020