Maloney’s Statement on Supreme Court Hearing of LGBTQ Workplace Protections Cases

Maloney’s Statement on Supreme Court Hearing of LGBTQ Workplace Protections Cases

WASHINGTON – Today, the Supreme Court of the United States heard arguments in three cases determining the future of anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ workers. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) released the following statement:

“No American should have to worry about being fired from their job just because of who they are or who they love. The rulings that will come from today’s hearings will determine the safety and security of LGBTQ workers across the country. I stand with my fellow LGBTQ Americans in our fight for true equality under the law,” said Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney.

The cases, Harris v. Stephens, Altitude Express Inc. v. Zarda, and Bostock v. Clayton County center around discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the workplace. Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, employers are prohibited from discriminating against workers and prospective employees based on an individual’s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The plaintiffs argued Title VII uses the broad term “sex” to include sexual orientation and gender identity, as they are inherently associated with sex discrimination.

Maloney is the first openly gay Member of Congress from New York. After 22 years together, he married his husband Randy Florke in June 2014 in Cold Spring, NY where they live with their three children.

Rep. Maloney is a proud co-chair of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus. In May of 2016, he led the fight for the inclusion of an amendment upholding President Obama’s 2014 Executive Order protecting federal contractors from discrimination based on their sexual orientation. After a contentious fight with the then-Republican led House leadership, Rep. Maloney was successful in his efforts to have these critical workplace protections maintained. 

In May of this year, Maloney presided over the floor during the historic vote to pass the Equality Act, which will extend anti-discrimination protections to LGBTQ Americans with regard to employment, education, access to credit, jury service, federal funding, housing and public accommodations by closing the existing gaps in civil rights laws. This vote marked the first time a chamber of Congress has approved a comprehensive LGBTQ civil rights bill. The Equality Act is currently stalled in the Republican-led Senate.

Rep. Maloney also joined a bicameral group of 153 Members of Congress in calling for the Supreme Court to recognize the rights of LGBTQ American workers in today’s cases.

-30-