Trump to Supreme Court: It's OK to Fire Workers For Being Gay

[left-of-center2012]

For the second time in a week, the Trump administration has lobbied the Supreme Court to legalize discrimination against LGBTQ+ workers.

On Friday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a brief in a trio of cases set to be heard by the nation’s highest bench on October 8. In hearing Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia; Altitude Express, Inc. v. Zarda; and R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes v. EEOC, the Supreme Court will decide if LGBTQ+ employees are entitled to workplace protection under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans discrimination on the basis of characteristics like national origin, religion, race, ethnicity, color, and sex.

Noel Francisco, a solicitor general with the DOJ, argued in an amicus brief filed to the court that the 55-year-old civil rights law cannot be interpreted to ban discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and queer workers because it was not the original intention of the legislation’s authors.

As the Supreme Court appears to weigh in on the pivotal cases — which will affect employment protections in the 29 states that lack comprehensive protections for LGBTQ+ workers — the Trump administration is doing everything in its power to influence the court’s decision. It has also reportedly lobbied the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to reverse its stance that queer and trans workers are protected under federal law.

https://www.out.com/news/2019/8/23/trump-supreme-court-its-ok-fire-workers-being-gay