If you are employed in California, then you generally have extensive protections from discrimination in the workplace. While federal law does protect workers in the country against most forms of discrimination, California state law typically provides extended protection, particularly when it comes to the LGBTQ community. Now, thanks to a recent ruling by the US Supreme Court, discrimination against people in the workforce due to their sexual orientation or gender identity is illegal.
In more than half of the states across this country, it has been legal for employers to fire workers for being gay, bisexual, transgender. You will not find any mention of protections for LGBTQ workers on the website for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) because federal law has never extended these rights. While many states across the country, including California and New York, do offer protections for gay and transgender workers, the fact remains that workers across most of this country have had no such protections.
However, with a June 2020 Supreme Court ruling, that has now changed. In a landmark 6-to-3 decision handed down by the Supreme Court, the Court has said the language of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits sex discrimination In the workplace, also applies to discrimination based on a person’s gender identity or sexual orientation.
This Supreme Court decision was an unexpected victory for the LGBTQ community, particularly because two conservative-leaning justices voted with the majority on this decision. It was Justice Neil Gorsuch who wrote the majority opinion for the case and said, “An employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender defies the law.”
Before this ruling, employers in most of the states throughout the country could fire a person simply because they were transgender or gay, despite the fact that the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage was legal in 2015. Essentially, two people of the same sex could get married in the morning and then lose their jobs in the afternoon for exercising their legal rights. Now, this type of employment discrimination is illegal everywhere across the country.
If you or somebody you care about has been discriminated against in the workplace, you need to speak to an attorney as soon as possible. Los Angeles employment law attorneys at the Kaufman Law Firm, are dedicated to helping ensure that nobody is treated unfairly by their coworkers or supervisors on the job. We will investigate your claims and work to secure fair compensation on your behalf, which can include:
When you need a Los Angeles discrimination attorney, you can contact us for a consultation by clicking here or calling us at 310-981-3404.