Today is the 2018 NYC Pride March, which celebrates the LGBT community and commemorates the Stonewall Riots of 1969. Since last year’s March, there have been several interesting developments in the area of LGBT rights.
For example, earlier this year the Second Circuit held (en banc) in Zarda v. Altitude Express that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964’s prohibition on discrimination based on “sex” extends to sexual orientation as well. (The New York State and City Human Rights Laws have explicitly included such protections for quite some time.) In light of a recently-filed Petition for Writ of Certiorari, this issue could be headed for a Supreme Court showdown.
All developments have not favored the LGBT community, however. Earlier this month the Supreme Court (in a narrow ruling), Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, sided with a baker who refused, allegedly on the basis of his religious beliefs, to create a cake for a gay couple’s wedding.
One can only hope that the (albeit slow) progress of the law ultimately provides complete vindication for LGBT persons in the areas of employment, public accommodation, and beyond.