HISTORIC VICTORY: Sexual Orientation Discrimination Is Barred By Existing Law, Federal Commission Rules
“[A]llegations of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation necessarily state a claim of discrimination on the basis of sex” barred by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruled in a groundbreaking July 2015 decision.
“Freedom to Work applauds this historic decision by the EEOC, and we encourage gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals who face harassment or discrimination on the job to consult an attorney and file Title VII claims with the EEOC and eventually the federal courts,” Tico Almeida said. “Our LGBT movement should take this strongly reasoned legal victory and run with it by returning to the federal courts to win workplace protections in all fifty states.”
News and Blog Posts
- USA Today: "Senate to Vote on Gay Rights Bill by Thanksgiving," October 28, 2013
- "Labor Dept: Same-Sex Spouses can Participate in Benefit Plans," September 2013
- Wall Street Journal: "U.S. Extends Family Leave to Same-Sex Spouses," August 2013
- MSNBC: "Senate committee: You Can’t be Fired for Being Gay," July 10, 2013
- "Freedom to Work Doubles Down on Push for LGBT Workplace Protections," June 17, 2013
- "Complaint Accuses Exxon Mobil of Anti-Gay Bias," Associated Press, May 2013
- "Advocacy Group Accuses Exxon of Anti-Gay Hiring Practices," Los Angeles Times, May 2013
- New York Times: "Exxon Defies Calls to Add Gays to Anti-Bias Policy," May 2013
Reports
- "$250 Billion In Federal Contracts Doled Out In States With No LGBT Anti-Discrimination Laws," according to report by Freedom to Work, Movement Advancement Project, and other leading LGBT organizations
- "A Broken Bargain: Discrimination, Fewer Benefits and More Taxes for LGBT Workers," 2013 Report by the Movement Advancement Project, Human Rights Campaign, Center for American Progress, and partners including Freedom to Work
- Center for Work-Life Policy Study: “The Power of Out” (July 2011)