LPHI Response to Supreme Court Ruling on Employment Protection for LGBTQ Employees

The LGBTQ community received a major victory from the United States Supreme Court this week regarding workplace discrimination. In a 6-3 ruling, the Supreme Court said language from the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employers from discriminating based on a person’s sex, also applies to discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. This ruling is a bright spot during Pride Month, which has been drastically changed this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pride was first held in 1970 to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City. Police conducted an early morning raid on Stonewall Inn, during which patrons and neighbors fought back after the police became violent. The parallel between the Stonewall riots and the current uprisings happening across the country to protest systemic racism is not lost on us.

While the Supreme Court ruling is a milestone victory, we need to continue to work towards equitable health care protections for the LGBTQ community – especially for people who are transgender. Now more than ever, LPHI is committed to health equity for everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, race, socioeconomic status, etc. We encourage our partners and stakeholders to join us in this commitment and identify actions they can take to reduce and eliminate health inequities.