Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams released the following statement after the United States Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Bostock v. Clayton County and its consolidated cases that workers cannot be fired or otherwise discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
The Public Advocate had previously introduced a 2018 resolution in the City Council applauding the US Second Circuit Court of Appeals decision on this issue in Altitude Express v. Zarda, one of the consolidated cases in today's ruling, and denouncing the Department of Justice's repeated attempts to deny civil rights protections to the LGBTQ+ community.
"This is a historic day, a moral and legal triumph, a landmark victory for LGBTQ+ rights that will reverberate through workplaces around the country for many years to come. National, enforceable protections against workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity are essential, overdue, and now, the law of the land.
"But as we look to this morning for hope in the future, we need only to look to the last several days for evidence of how far there is still to go, how much work there is still to do. The Trump administration has just stripped away healthcare protections for transgender individuals, a despicable and dangerous action that we must stand against in legislation, in court, and in the streets. Yesterday I joined thousands of New Yorkers for the Brooklyn liberation march for Black Trans lives, led by and centering Black Trans people in the fight for justice and against bigotry. As Public Advocate, I will continue the fight - not only during Pride month, but every month throughout the year - both against discrimination in the workplace and for equitable access to employment itself.
"This Pride Month, we have been reminded of the power of protest and disruption to drive a movement and effect transformational, lasting change. In the spirit of revolutionaries like Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and Miss Major Griffin-Gracy we will continue to march forward for progress, combatting injustices as celebrating victories as we go."
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