AUSTIN, Texas — In a historic 6-3 ruling on Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court voted to include LGBTQ+ workers in protections granted by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
“This is a stunning opinion,” said Austin attorney Gary Schumann, who is a member of the Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce. “We could not have asked for more. However, what we have to watch for ahead is that some employers may try to seek religious exemption from this rule.”
Schumann has recruited panelists from Austin’s legal community through the Chamber’s Advocacy Committee to explain in an upcoming webinar what the Supreme Court ruling means to employers and employees.
“We’ve been in a holding pattern for months waiting for this decision,” said Chamber Executive Director Tina Grider-Cannon. “Now that it’s here – and especially since the opinion of a very conservative court is in the favor of equal protections for our members and our LGBTQ+ workforce – we are happily mobilizing to educate our business community about the benefits of this decision. These protections are good for the bottom line, not just with talent recruitment but also allowing employees to bring their ‘whole self’ to work.”
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Monday's Supreme Court decision makes it illegal to fire LGBTQ+ employees by including sexual orientation and gender identity in protections under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The act prohibits discrimination based on “sex.”
Schumann warned that some employers may seek religious exemption to the rule but hopes the fact that many churches already recognize LGBTQ+ rights may help guard against that argument.
To learn more, you can register for the chamber’s webinar online, which is set for June 22 at 5:30 p.m. You can also find it on Facebook.
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