Federal Appeals Court Finds LGBT Workers Are Protected Under Civil Rights Act

WASHINGTON – Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement on the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation:

“We applaud this ruling by the Second Circuit, which follows a similar decision by the Seventh Circuit. These federal judges have rightly recognized that discrimination against workers on the basis of their sexual orientation violates a key civil rights law of this country. It is also a welcome rebuke of the Trump administration’s view that it’s somehow legal to discriminate against LGBT workers. All workers, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, should be protected from discrimination.”

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.