ALBUQUERQUE, NM — The U.S. Supreme Court today ruled in a trio of cases that it is against the law to fire people for being LGBTQ. The ACLU national was counsel in the cases of Aimee Stephens and Don Zarda and argued Ms. Stephens’ case.
Ellie Rushforth, staff attorney at the ACLU of New Mexico, had the following response:
“The Supreme Court’s ruling that it’s unlawful to fire people on the basis of their gender identity or sexual orientation is an enormous victory for LGBTQ equality. Although the New Mexico Human Rights Act already prohibits employers from discriminating against LGBTQ New Mexicans, this victory affirms that LGBTQ people are entitled to equal dignity and ensures that those people who live in states without anti- discrimination laws will be able to work and provide for themselves and their families without fear that they could lose their jobs because of who they are or who they love.”
“Although this victory will go a long way towards affirming legal protections in education, housing, credit, and health care, our work is not finished. Federal civil rights laws are still insufficient and leave too many LGBTQ people - especially Black and Brown people - vulnerable to discrimination. We’ll keep fighting until Congress passes laws that will explicitly protect LGBTQ people from discrimination in all areas.”
