Cranford, NJ—Today, the Supreme Court ruled in a 6–3 decision that LGBTQ workers are protected from discrimination by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
In response to this historic ruling, Nick Fish, president of American Atheists, released the following statement:
Today’s ruling marks an important milestone in protecting LGBTQ people from discrimination. However, the march towards full equality is not over.
While the Supreme Court made clear that LGBTQ Americans are protected from discrimination in the workplace, the specter of religious exemptions undermining this basic protection looms large. The decision itself leaves open the possibility that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act can still be used by employers to weaponize religion against their employees.
This decision is a watershed moment in the fight to protect all Americans from discrimination, but we have work to do. Just last week, the Trump Administration issued a discriminatory health care rule that puts LGBTQ Americans at risk of being denied necessary medical treatment.
Starting today, we will use this decision as a starting point to undo this Administration’s attacks on LGBTQ Americans, perpetrated as a cynical ploy to secure the votes of White Evangelicals. But it will not happen overnight and we can’t rely on this single decision as the final word.
Congress must pass the Do No Harm Act to limit the effects of RFRA and the Equality Act to explicitly protect LGBTQ Americans in all areas of law, including housing, education, public accommodation, and more. We can celebrate today, but tomorrow we must get back to work.
