The United States Supreme Court agreed to determine whether federal employment law prohibits sexual orientation and transgender discrimination. <\/p>\n
What is the Court Going to Clarify?
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The high court has announced that it will hear a trio of cases that raise the issue of whether Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (\u201cTitle VII\u201d) prohibits sexual orientation discrimination and transgender discrimination.\u00a0 \u00a0While Title VII protects against sex discrimination, the federal courts are split on whether sexual orientation and transgender discrimination fit within Title VII\u2019s definition of sex discrimination.\u00a0 The Supreme Court\u2019s decision will hopefully resolve this controversy and clarify the scope of Title VII\u2019s coverage. <\/p>\n
The Three Cases on Appeal<\/u> <\/p>\n
Two of the cases to be heard, one from Georgia and the other from New York, deal with sexual orientation coverage under Title VII with opposite conclusions. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that sexual orientation is a subset of sex discrimination while the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that a termination based on homosexuality is not prohibited under Title VII.<\/p>\n
The third case addresses Title VII coverage for transgender discrimination.\u00a0 The Court will review the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals\u2019 conclusion that Title VII prohibits transgender discrimination based on sex and sex stereotypes.<\/p>\n
Legislative Efforts
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