Over 200 Businesses Sign Brief Supporting LGBTQ Individuals
August 6th, 2019
In July 2019, more than 200 businesses signed a brief that was filed with the United States Supreme Court in support of three LGBTQ workers who were terminated as a result of their gender identity or sexual orientation. The brief was organized by several LGBTQ civil rights organizations including the Human Rights Campaign and Lambda Legal.
As we made clear in the last post, these cases are likely to shape the future of how employment cases concerning LGBTQ individuals in the United States are resolved as well as define what constitutes wrongful termination.
The Basis of the Brief
In the brief, the companies argue that the United States Supreme Court should rule that LGBTQ individuals are protected from discrimination under existing civil rights laws which prohibit discrimination on the basis of a person’s sex.
More specifically, these companies argue that a decision prohibiting anti-LGBTQ discrimination would be advantageous for companies because they would allow businesses to attract talented LGBTQ workers and improve efficiency.
The brief references one study, which found that companies lose approximately $8,800 for each worker who leaves a state without LGBTQ protections or a position with a hostile work place environment fueled by discrimination.
In response, a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign stated that workers should know firsthand that protecting LGBTQ individuals is advantageous as well as the morally correct thing to do.
Which Companies Signed the Brief
206 companies signed the brief, which is double the number that signed any previous LGBTQ anti-discrimination brief. These business represent approximately 7.4 million workers from numerous industries.
Some of the companies who signed the brief are American Express, Bank of America, Ben & Jerry’s, Cisco Systems Inc., Citigroup, Coca-Cola, Expedia, Facebook, General Motors, Goldman Sachs, Google, IKEA, Macy’s, Starbucks Corporation, and The Walt Disney Company.
The Future of the Case
The United States Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments on October 8, 2019 in the case of Altitude Express v Zarda, in which a court of appeals determined that a skydiving company discriminated against one of its instructors after learning that the teacher was gay.
This matter has been consolidated with the case of Bostock v. Clayton County, in which the plaintiff alleges that he was wrongfully terminated as a result of his sexual orientation.
The other case that is scheduled to be heard by the Supreme Court at this time involves Aimee Stephens who is a transgender woman who was terminated from her position at a funeral parlor after informing her employer that she intended to transition and conform to female dress codes.
The outcome of these cases will almost certainly have a profound impact on the nature of workers’ rights in the United States.
Continue Reading the Universal Life Church’s Blog
There have been a number of profound decisions concerning LGBTQ rights in the United States. As a result, each month, the Universal Life Church’s blog focuses on describing the most recent developments in LGBTQ rights to keep our readers well-informed.
(image courtesy of Stern Creative)
