Today, the U.S. Supreme Court took an important step to ensure workplace protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals – making it illegal to fire an employee for being gay or transgender. This decision is an important milestone, affirming that workers have these important protections under the full force of law nationwide.
Our commitment to supporting LGBT+ issues is enduring because supporting our colleagues, suppliers, and clients in the U.S. and around the world is, most importantly, the right thing to do, and it also makes good business sense. As Jamie said to us this morning, “This is a big win for our LGBT+ employees and partners and for all people. Our company is better and stronger because of its diversity. Especially during PRIDE Month, we couldn’t be more proud to support all of our employees to make sure they receive the equal protections they deserve.”
Last Friday, the Department of Health and Human Services removed nondiscrimination protections for LGBT+ people when it comes to health care and health insurance. This decision was wrong, and it underscores the importance of our strong support of the Equality Act, a bipartisan bill currently in Congress that would explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity across all facets of daily life, including the workplace, but also in banking, credit, housing, and education, among others.
Last July, we joined 200 other businesses in sharing our view with the Supreme Court that protecting American workers against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity supports our businesses and strengthens the American economy.
Equality and fairness should be fundamental rights — this is progress we’re glad to see.