On October 8th, the Supreme Court is set to hear three landmark LGBTQ workplace-discrimination cases. They are as intensely personal as they are political.
Until 2012, Aimee Stephens was, in her own words, “basically leading two different lives, one for work and one for home.” At work she dressed and presented as a cisgender man. Outside of work she dressed as, and could simply be, who she was: a woman.
“In 2012, it came to a boiling point,” Stephens told The Daily Beast. “I didn’t know if I could go forward. I knew for sure I couldn’t go backwards, so where does that leave me? And if that’s all there was, what was the point? So, in November 2012 I considered taking my life and getting it over with. I stood in the backyard with a gun to my chest for an hour. But I came to the conclusion that I couldn’t do it—that I liked me too much. I made the choice to live. And it was shortly after that that I drafted the letter to my boss.”
…
On Oct. 8, Stephens’ case will be one of three to be heard by SCOTUS, which will consider—and ultimately adjudicate—if current sex discrimination laws protect LGBTQ people from workplace discrimination. The cases represent as momentous a moment for LGBTQ rights and equality at the Supreme Court as the Defense of Marriage Act and marriage equality rulings did in 2013 and 2015 respectively.
The cases are being heard against the backdrop of the stymied passage of the Equality Act, which would enshrine anti-LGBTQ discrimination protections in federal law (28 states presently have no protections for LGBTQ employees). The Act passed in the House of Representatives, but has little chance of getting passed in a Republican-controlled Senate.
The other two SCOTUS cases will test if the current sex discrimination laws cover gay people, and will be heard together as they both focus on sexual orientation.
Inside the Supreme Court Discrimination Cases That Could Change LGBTQ Rights via The Daily Beast
(It’s finally up! We had some technical issues with Vimeo, but no worries! We emailed @caitlintheawesome the video earlier today, so they’ve already seen it.)
Happy Pride Month! Our core membership is nearly 50% LGBTQIA+; our organization and many of its core components are designed and led by queer people. This is a great time to reaffirm our commitment to the cause of equality and justice for all genders and orientations! <3