On Monday, June 15, 2020, the Supreme Court of the Uned Stat led that employers who fire dividuals for beg gay or transgenr are vlatn of Tle VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The lg terprets Tle VII, which prohibs discrimatn based on “race, lor, relign, sex, or natnal orig,” to clu discrimatn agast gay and transgenr dividuals. To learn more about this lg and s soclogil implitns, we ught up wh Director of DU’s Genr and Women’s Studi Program and Associate Teachg Profsor Ldsey Fez. Can you provi some ntext for the signifince of last Monday’s Supreme Court lg? Supreme Court lgs matter bee they tablish feral law/feral precent as opposed to relyg on dividual stat to have worker protectns. Historilly, lbian, gay and trans folks — pendg on where they lived and whether their stat have protectns — have always been unr scty and at risk for beg fired or harassed at work bee of their sexual orientatn. Many members of the LGBTQ+ muny have had to hi their sexual inty and often their same-sex partners. The feral Supreme Court lgs matter bee don’t pend on where you live; your job is protected by the hight urt the land. Hopefully this means that folks won’t feel the prsure to perform or pretend that they’re straight at work or fear for their jobs anymore. This lg sentially mak the term sex more clive, protectg om discrimatn agast not jt blogil sex but also sexual orientatn. Why are the fns important? We spend a lot of time troductn to genr and women’s studi gettg stunts to unrstand the differenc between blogil sex, genr and sexualy. They’re actually three separate thgs, and yet culturally and socially, there’s a lot of blogil termism still left around, which is the ia that the genalia you’re born wh dictat not only your blogil sex but your genr inty and your sexual orientatn. The tth is that they’re separate. Blogy don’t dictate what you should be able to do as a human beg or whether you’re feme or mascule. It also shouldn’t dictate who you’re romantilly and sexually attracted to or whether or not you’re qualified for a job. At the end of the day, the lg was a Tle VII civil rights se which means that you n’t discrimate based on sex. It’s very plited what they were dog wh the language, but I thk they’re tryg to show the lkage between sex-based (genr) discrimatn and sexual-inty/orientatn discrimatn. In what ways are women’s and LGBTQ rights nnected? Well, ’s not jt women — securg equal rights for the LGBTQ+ muny is also tied to securg equal rights for other mory groups. Blogil-based arguments, for example, are lked to outdated homophobic, sexist and racist unrstandgs of genr, sexualy and ethnicy that simply aren’t te. The are ep-rooted, misguid and dangero notns. We often see blogil arguments about the supposed ferry or herent “danger” of a particular group of people that n lead to discrimatn at the workplace and other areas of society. Women as a mory group general have a lot more mon wh gay men and ethnic mori for this reason. Firg a woman bee she’s pregnant and supposedly n’t do a particular job or firg a man bee he has a male partner are both discrimatory practic at the end of the day. What do you see as the immediate practil effects of the lg? The good news, and I thk the reason people are celebratg, is that folks who are not stat that have current protectns now have legal reurse. The US law now protects LGBTQ employe. That’s huge on a symbolic level and a practil level. However, I thk the other nsequence is backlash om the Tmp admistratn. While I would never say we shouldn’t pay attentn or celebrate the Supreme Court’s lg, ’s also a ll to actn to keep our ey on rollbacks of legal protectns for LGBTQ folks other areas. Progrs always wh backlash, and the backlash this se is gog to happen smaller state and feral agenci, whether that’s rollg back protectns on healthre for transgenr folks or makg harr for LGBTQ folks to bee foster or adoptive parents. DU has a non-discrimatn policy protectg sexual orientatn and genr inty. What do this lg mean for our muny and for higher-ed at large? Sce we’re rponsible for tg young people who are enterg the workforce, I hope means we’re givg stunts the knowledge and the nfince to be empowered when they leave the universy. As tors, we’re rponsible for showg them that they do have legal protectns the workplace and hopefully teachg them to show up as alli and advot their workplac. I also hope we’re tg them to pay attentn to their state and lol ernments so that they’ll go back to their muni wh this knowledge. For people terted learng more about genr equy, n you remend a class or other rource? I’m always here to plug the Genr and Women’s Studi Department, so if anyone wants to know the basics between blogil sex, genr and sexualy/sexual orientatn, we’re here to serve! Our program is dited to tersectnaly and how genr, sexualy, race and relig inti mix. We have a new faculty member who’s a queer scholar, Luc Bedo. He’s offerg Intro to Queer Studi this fall (’s already full), and he’s also dog a class on genr and trans inti a global perspective. I would also remend class tght by our wonrful GWST affiliated faculty — Josh Wilson polil science looks at abortn and the Christian nservative renfiguratn of the urt system. Soclogy is a great place to exame issu of equy school, fai and other stutns. The College of Arts, Humani & Social Scienc general is really well posned to help stunts learn about this topic. The Queer Stunt Alliance and other stunt activist groups on mp are also really important plac for stunts to fd muny and to advote for to do better for our LGBTQ stunts at DU.
Contents:
- GAY RIGHTS VS. FREE SPEECHSUPREME COURT BACKS WEB DIGNER OPPOSED TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
- WHAT THE SUPREME COURT'S GAY WEDDG WEBSE LG MEANS FOR LGBTQ RIGHTS
- JAGS' MAXEN IS FIRST MALE AMERIN PRO SPORTS ACH TO E OUT AS GAY
- THE SUPREME COURT’S RULG ON REFG GAY BS
- NEW ‘GAY WATER’ LOOKS TO AVOID BUD LIGHT DISASTER
- OPN IN THE URT’S LG ON GAY WEDDG WEBS, EE SPEECH WON
- THE VIEW STAR REVEALS WHY SHE AGRE WH SUPREME COURT LG FOR SIGNER WHO OPPOS GAY MARRIAGE
- THE SUPREME COURT’S BLSG OF ANTI-LGBTQ+ DISCRIMATN WILL HNT GAY COUPL
- FIRG OF GAY CATHOLIC SCHOOL TEACHER ULD TT LATT SUPREME COURT LG
GAY RIGHTS VS. FREE SPEECHSUPREME COURT BACKS WEB DIGNER OPPOSED TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
* ruling on gay *
Image source, Getty ImagThe US Supreme Court over the past several s has slowly but steadily expand s protectns of gay rights. From strikg down a Texas law that crimalised "sodomy" to legalisg gay marriage across the natn, the directn of US jurispnce seemed was before Jtice Anthony Kennedy, the thor of several of those landmark cisns, retired and Donald Tmp, wh two appotments, gave the urt a cidly more nservative bent.
There was some ncern among LGBT advot that the newly posed urt would e this year's two high-profile gay and transgenr rights s to take the natn a different ncerns proved unfound.
Neil Gorsuch, one of the Tmp appote, wrote the sweepg cisn that extend feral employment protectns to gay and transgenr workers. While the urt is tablishg a long history of cisns expandg gay rights, this is the first time spoke directly about the legal protectns for transgenr dividuals.
WHAT THE SUPREME COURT'S GAY WEDDG WEBSE LG MEANS FOR LGBTQ RIGHTS
Jaguars assistant Kev Maxen has bee the first male ach major Amerin men's pro sports to publicly e out as gay, tellg he ma the cisn bee he didn't want to hi who he is any longer. * ruling on gay *
On Monday, June 15, 2020, the Supreme Court of the Uned Stat led that employers who fire dividuals for beg gay or transgenr are vlatn of Tle VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
JAGS' MAXEN IS FIRST MALE AMERIN PRO SPORTS ACH TO E OUT AS GAY
A Colorado web signer who the U.S. Supreme Court led Friday uld refe to make weddg webs for gay upl ced a requt om a man who says he never asked to work wh her. * ruling on gay *
The lg terprets Tle VII, which prohibs discrimatn based on “race, lor, relign, sex, or natnal orig, ” to clu discrimatn agast gay and transgenr dividuals. Historilly, lbian, gay and trans folks — pendg on where they lived and whether their stat have protectns — have always been unr scty and at risk for beg fired or harassed at work bee of their sexual orientatn. Blogil-based arguments, for example, are lked to outdated homophobic, sexist and racist unrstandgs of genr, sexualy and ethnicy that simply aren’t te.
ImageLorie Smh said her Christian fah requir her to turn away ctomers seekg servic to celebrate same-sex Woolf for The New York TimThe Supreme Court sid on Friday wh a web signer Colorado who said she had a First Amendment right to refe to sign weddg webs for same-sex upl spe a state law that forbids discrimatn agast gay people.
THE SUPREME COURT’S RULG ON REFG GAY BS
A new nned cktail lled Gay Water is lookg to attract LGBTQ drkers and avoid the pfalls of Bud Light's disastro marketg partnership wh transgenr fluencer Dylan Mulvaney. * ruling on gay *
’”The se, though amed as a clash between ee speech and gay rights, was the latt a seri of cisns favor of relig people and groups, notably nservative cisn also appeared to suggt that the rights of L. The liberal jtic viewed as somethg else entirely — a dispute that threatened societal protectns for gay rights and rolled back some recent an impassned dissent, Jtice Sonia Sotomayor warned that the oute signaled a return to a time when people of lor and other mory groups faced open discrimatn. ”A Colorado law forbids discrimatn agast gay people by bs open to the public as well as statements announcg such discrimatn.
Kavangh and Amy Coney Barrett, shifted the urt to the urts have generally sid wh gay and lbian upl who were refed service by bakeri, florists and others, lg that potential ctomers are entled to equal treatment, at least parts of the untry wh laws forbiddg discrimatn based on sexual owners of bs challengg those laws have argued that the ernment should not force them to choose between the requirements of their fahs and their livelihoods.
A baker refed to make a weddg ke for their receptn on relig Cote for The New York TimHad there been an actual gay person who was refed a weddg-related service at the center of 303 Creative L. Irish-Amerin Gay, Lbian and Bisexual Group of Boston, Inc., a se om 1995 which the urt sid wh the anizers of a veterans para that blocked a group of gay, lbian and bisexual people om marchg the event. Jtice Sotomayor seemed pecially ncerned about the way the urt’s opn would send a disapprovg msage to the public about people who are gay, lbian, bisexual or transgenr, or who were same-sex relatnships.
NEW ‘GAY WATER’ LOOKS TO AVOID BUD LIGHT DISASTER
By allowg a Colorado web signer to refe service to gay upl, the jtic have blown a hole anti-discrimatn law. * ruling on gay *
Addnally, several stat terpret existg laws agast sex discrimatn to apply to bias relatg to sexual orientatn and genr inty, even though they do not have laws explicly forbiddg such stat that do not offer protectns to gay and transgenr people on those grounds, municipal laws ver many Human Rights Campaign, an L. McCoy for The New York TimThe urt’s cisn favor of a Colorado web signer, Lorie Smh, had an unual feature: It was based on njecture and Smh, who objects to providg weddg-related servic for same-sex marriag, never turned down a gay uple.
ETFriday’s lg was another reassurg cisn for relig celebratory moment outsi the Supreme Court on Friday, after the urt livered the latt a strg of judgments favor of relig Zuhaib/Associated PrsConservativ who have moral and theologil objectns to gay marriage saw the Supreme Court’s cisn on Friday as reassurance that they would be able to assert their beliefs a public square that they see as creasgly hostile to a 6-to-3 vote, spl along iologil l, the jtic agreed wh a web signer Colorado who said she had a First Amendment right to refe to provi servic for same-sex marriag, spe a state law that forbids discrimatn agast gay people. ”Acrdg to pollg om 2021 by the Public Relign Rearch Instute, majori of most major relig groups — cludg Catholics, Jews and Mlims — oppose allowg small-bs owners to refe to serve gay and lbian people on relig grounds. Smh and her lawyers have emphasized that her objectn is not to workg wh same-sex upl or gay dividuals, but to signg webs for gay weddgs.
OPN IN THE URT’S LG ON GAY WEDDG WEBS, EE SPEECH WON
Several siar s have centered on nservative Christian small bs owners who object to workg on gay weddgs specifilly, cludg a baker Colorado, two vatn signers Arizona and a Kentucky-based a news nference shortly after the lg was issued, Krist Waggoner, general unsel for Alliance Defendg Freedom, which reprented Ms.
THE VIEW STAR REVEALS WHY SHE AGRE WH SUPREME COURT LG FOR SIGNER WHO OPPOS GAY MARRIAGE
” She said her nsiratn acceptg work as a webse signer was the “msage” of the se, not the inty of the Smh’s portfol clus webs for church, real tate pani and polil many nservative Christians hailed the cisn on Friday, drew cricism om some progrsive Christians and terfah groups, cludg those that serve gay people of fah. “Broad exemptns to allow relig-based discrimatn hurts people of fah, too, ” Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Mistry, which advot for gay Catholics, said a statement.
McCoy for The New York TimGay and transgenr rights anizatns on Friday nmned the Supreme Court lg backg a Colorado webse signer’s bid to refe to provi servic for same-sex marriag, llg the cisn a dangero backslidg on L. ETHere’s how urt battl over servg same-sex upl have played out the Cote for The New York TimIn the latt se volvg same-sex marriage rights, relig eedom and discrimatn, the Supreme Court on Friday led favor of a web signer Colorado who said she had a First Amendment right not to provi servic for same-sex marriag spe a state law that bans discrimatn agast gay ’s a brief look at some of the most proment s before Friday’s:A Colorado baker ws urtIn June 2018, the Supreme Court led favor of a Colorado baker who refed to bake a weddg ke for a gay uple. Kennedy wrote that the missn’s members had acted wh “clear and impermissible hostily” to people wh scerely held relig Bra, a kemaker prevailsBra’s Supreme Court led favor of a bakery October 2018 that had refed to make a ke bearg the slogan “Support Gay Marriage, ” sayg the refal was not discrimatory.
THE SUPREME COURT’S BLSG OF ANTI-LGBTQ+ DISCRIMATN WILL HNT GAY COUPL
The urt’s cisn mak easier for bs Bra to cle ctomer requts that are at odds wh their dispute began 2014, when Gareth Lee, a gay rights activist Northern Ireland, sought to buy a ke for a party om Ashers Bakg Company Belfast that showed two “Same Street” characters, Bert and Ernie; a logo for his group, QueerSpace; and the slogan supportg gay marriage. A florist Washgton State says her rights were vlatedIn 2013, Barronelle Stutzman, the owner of a flower shop the small cy of Richland, southeastern Washgton, refed to create floral arrangements for a gay uple’s two grooms, Robert Ingersoll and Curt Freed, had prevly bought flowers at her store, Arlene’s Flowers. ”Invatn signers sue the cy of PhoenixThe Arizona Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments January after two Christian vatn signers said they would refe to create weddg vatns for same-sex upl if Da and Breanna Koski, evangelil Christians and the owners of Bsh & Nib Stud, sued the cy of Phoenix 2016, sayg they feared legal retributn if they did not fulfill requts om gay or lbian upl.
FIRG OF GAY CATHOLIC SCHOOL TEACHER ULD TT LATT SUPREME COURT LG
The duo, who create handma artwork for weddgs and other events, ntend that creatg vatns for gay or lbian upl would be tantamount to endorsg same-sex far, Ms. Colorado Civil Rights Cote for The New York TimThe Supreme Court’s cisn on Friday favor of a Colorado web signer has echo of a 2018 se about a baker who had turned away a gay uple seekg a weddg that cisn, Masterpiece Cakhop v. Kennedy, who wrote the majory opn the 7-to-2 cisn 2018, seemed unable to choose between two of his re mments: He was the thor of every major Supreme Court cisn protectg gay rights unr the Constutn and also the urt’s most arnt fenr of ee speech.
“The oute of s like this other circumstanc mt awa further elaboratn the urts, ” he wrote, “all the ntext of regnizg that the disput mt be rolved wh tolerance, whout undue disrpect to scere relig beliefs, and whout subjectg gay persons to digni when they seek goods and servic an open market.