The NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF), joined the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and 56 of the nation’s premier civil rights organizations as amici curiae in Botstock v. Clayton County, Georgia and two companion cases that the Supreme Court will consider in its next term, in which amici urge the Court to recognize that the workplace anti-discrimination protections in Title VII apply to LGBTQ individuals.
Enacted as part of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VII was designed to eliminate discrimination in employment. The systematic racial discrimination against African Americans in the workplace was the initial impetus for the law, but it is well-established that Title VII protects against disparate treatment based on other characteristics including sex, national origin, and religion. The primary objective of Title VII is the removal of obstacles that prevent employees of all backgrounds from fully contributing to the economy and having access to economic resources essential for equity and opportunity.
“LDF has been at the forefront of litigating claims on behalf of employees under Title VII,” said Janai Nelson, Associate Director-Counsel. “LDF has used Title VII to combat rampant anti-Black discrimination in the workplace since we successfully litigated the very first Title VII case that went to the Supreme Court in 1965, just 3 months after the law went into effect. Despite progress, discrimination in the workplace persists, and LGBTQ people of color, in particular, are frequently subject to mistreatment and denied equal opportunities at work. Justice and fairness demand that the Supreme Court recognize that Title VII’s protections apply to LGBTQ individuals.”
Read the brief signed by LDF here.
