On June 15, 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a landmark ruling with a major impact on employment law across the country. In Bostock v. Clayton County, the Court held that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects employees from discrimination based on their LGTBQ status.
SCOTUS consolidated three cases involving plaintiffs who were fired for being homosexual (two plaintiffs) or transgender (one plaintiff). In a 6-3 decision, the Court determined that because Title VII prohibits discrimination based on sex and gender, the law should be interpreted to also protect LGTBQ employees from discrimination. LGTBQ discrimination inherently involves a person’s sex and/or gender, so this type of discrimination should be prohibited based on the text of the law.
While California has had anti-discrimination laws in place prohibiting LGBTQ discrimination for some time, many states had no such laws. Now, all employees are protected across the United States under federal law.
Know Your Rights
If you are an employee, you should understand what this SCOTUS decision means for you and your employment relationship. An employer violates your rights if they do any of the following:
- Refuses to hire you for being LGBTQ
- Denies you a promotion or pay increase you deserve for this reason
- Makes another adverse employment decision, such as a demotion, reduction of hours, or undesirable transfer
- Allow you to be harassed to the point it creates a hostile work environment
- Terminate you due to LGBTQ status
- Retaliate with adverse employment actions if you complain of unlawful harassment or discrimination
Contact an Employment Lawyer in Walnut Creek Today
The Walnut Creek employment attorneys at Ratner Molineaux, LLP. are ready to represent any LGBTQ employees whose rights are violated at work. Call (925) 332-1444 or contact us online for help.