Some Good News: A Watershed Moment for the LGBTQ Community in America

It’s been tough to find good news in 2020, but I was incredibly happy to see today that the US Supreme Court ruled that gay, lesbian and transgender workers are protected by federal by civil rights law in America (CNN link).

To be perfectly honest, it’s also incredibly disappointing that LGBTQ workers were ever not covered by the law. Until this ruling, from the perspective of federal law (a number of states have opposing laws), an employer could fire an individual for being homosexual or transgender. That’s terrible, and this ruling was long overdue.

I refreshed myself on the history of this law–Title VII of the Civil Rights Act–and it’s been in place since 1964. Here’s what that article summarizes: “While it was a landmark achievement for African-Americans’ struggle for equality, the statute also opened up significant opportunities for women and others. Title VII of the law barred employment discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, color, religion, and – in an 11th-hour addition – sex.”

So, it’s a great law–way too late, but great–yet LGBTQ workers weren’t covered by it until today. I’m so sorry that LGBTQ friends, peers, acquaintances, and strangers had to wait so long to get the same protection I’ve always had, but I celebrate with you today.

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