sex discrimination

In massive win for equality, Supreme Court rules no one can be fired for being gay or transgender

In a stunning 6-3 decision written by Justice Neil Gorsuch (!), the Supreme Court has ruled that LGBTQ people cannot be discriminated against on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity. It is now against the law to be fired from your job for being LGBTQ. Gorsuch wrote the majority opinion, with Chief Justice John Roberts joining: “An …

In massive win for equality, Supreme Court rules no one can be fired for being gay or transgender Read More »

The Trump administration wants to make it easier to fire women who act too ‘masculine’

Thirty years ago, in Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins, the Supreme Court held that “sex stereotyping” is forbidden by a federal law banning employment discrimination. “We are beyond the day,” Justice William Brennan wrote in the court’s plurality opinion, “when an employer could evaluate employees by assuming or insisting that they matched the stereotype associated with their …

The Trump administration wants to make it easier to fire women who act too ‘masculine’ Read More »

Supreme Court to decide if LGBTQ workers are protected by US civil rights law

The U.S. Supreme Court in its upcoming session will hear arguments on whether anti-LGBTQ employment discrimination is sex discrimination. The court will hear arguments on October 8 about whether LGBTQ workers are protected by the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. “This is a momentous occasion. It is a pivotal moment and …

Supreme Court to decide if LGBTQ workers are protected by US civil rights law Read More »

Caster Semenya gets reprieve from discriminatory regulations, but it’s not all it’s cracked up to be

On Monday, news outlets around the globe ran headlines reporting that South African middle-distance runner Caster Semenya won an important court battle. The two-time Olympic champion in the 800 meters had filed an appeal last week to challenge the Court of Arbitration in Sports’ (CAS) ruling that she must artificially lower her testosterone levels in …

Caster Semenya gets reprieve from discriminatory regulations, but it’s not all it’s cracked up to be Read More »

Missouri Supreme Court opens the door to LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections

The Missouri Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a gay employee’s case alleging sex discrimination in the workplace could proceed, reversing a lower court ruling and establishing a new precedent that could help protect embattled non-heterosexual workers in the future. The court also ruled on a separate but similar case involving a transgender student who claimed …

Missouri Supreme Court opens the door to LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections Read More »

Can federal workers blatantly discriminate against LGBTQ people? Jeff Sessions isn’t sure.

During Wednesday’s Justice Department Oversight Hearing, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions about the Department of Justice’s new “religious freedom” guidance. In particular, Durbin was concerned about how the guidance might enable anti-LGBTQ discrimination, asking Sessions to respond to several hypotheticals. “Could a social security administration employee refuse to accept or process spousal …

Can federal workers blatantly discriminate against LGBTQ people? Jeff Sessions isn’t sure. Read More »

EEOC lawsuits allege sex discrimination in physical ability tests

Three different cases. Three different theories of gender discrimination. But one common thread – an old school presumption that certain blue-collar jobs are a “man’s work.” The Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) has filed suit against three U.S. employers for sex discrimination in hiring. The lawsuits allege overt bias against female job candidates in the …

EEOC lawsuits allege sex discrimination in physical ability tests Read More »

Justice Department brief argues against protections for LGBTQ workers

On Wednesday evening, the Department of Justice moved to undermine rights for LGBTQ people to ensure they are treated fairly in the workplace. The department filed a brief arguing that prohibition of sex discrimination under federal law does not include the prohibition of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The federal law in question is Title …

Justice Department brief argues against protections for LGBTQ workers Read More »

Federal appeals court holds workers can’t be fired for being gay

With a lopsided majority joined by a bipartisan coalition of judges, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit held on Tuesday that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation violates federal civil rights law, at least in the context of the workplace. The court telegraphed in an order last October that Hively …

Federal appeals court holds workers can’t be fired for being gay Read More »

We’ve Finally Reached 2016 African American Women’s Equal Pay Day

  Today we commemorate “African American Women’s Equal Pay Day,” the day in the year when African American women’s wages finally catch up to what men earned last year.  It is important to note that African American Women’s Equal Pay Day comes nearly four months after “Women’s Equal Pay Day,”which included wages of women of …

We’ve Finally Reached 2016 African American Women’s Equal Pay Day Read More »

Scroll to Top

Madeline Messa

Madeline Messa is a 3L at Syracuse University College of Law. She graduated from Penn State with a degree in journalism. With her legal research and writing for Workplace Fairness, she strives to equip people with the information they need to be their own best advocate.