Civil Rights Law Protects Gay and Transgender Workers, Supreme Court Rules

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled 6-3 that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects gay and transgender employees from workplace discrimination, reports the New York Times . Title VII prohibits employment discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, and sex. The question for the court was whether discrimination based on sex applies to gay and transgender workers. The landmark decision covered three cases. Two pertained to gay men who said they were fired because of their sexual orientation. A third case pertained to a transgender woman who said her company fired her when she announced that she would embrace her gender identity at work.