Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz today applauded the U.S. Supreme Court Decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, which ruled that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 bars job discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

“For far too long, the LGBTQ+ community has lived in fear that they could lose their jobs simply for who they are, who they love, or how they identify. This landmark decision is a national victory for the LGBTQ+ community, and affirms all Americans are protected from discrimination in the workplace under federal law. While this is another milestone in the constant fight for equality, our work is not done,”said Lt. Governor Bysiewicz.“Connecticut has led the way on LGBTQ+ anti-discrimination law by outlawing discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression. As the Trump Administration continues to roll back the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, we must all stand together and fight to protect the LGBTQ+ community and prevent discrimination in housing, education, healthcare, military and employment.”

Associate Justice of U.S. Supreme Court Neil Gorsuch wrote, “In our time, few pieces of federal legislation rank in significance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964. There, in Title VII, Congress outlawed discrimination in the workplace on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Today, we must decide whether an employer can fire someone simply for being homosexual or transgender. The answer is clear. An employer who fires an individual for being homosexual or transgender fires that person for traits or actions it would not have questioned in members of a differentsex. Sex plays a necessary and undisguisable role in the decision, exactly what Title VII forbids.”