CNBC's Ylan Mui reports on a historic ruling in favor of protections for LGBTQ workers. The Supreme Court said Monday that workers cannot be fired for being gay or transgender, a blockbuster ruling for LGBT rights. The historic 6-3 decision was written by Justice Neil Gorsuch, a conservative appointed by Donald Trump. “An individual’s homosexuality or transgender status is not relevant to employment decisions,” Gorsuch wrote in the decision, which applied to three separate cases. “That’s because it is impossible to discriminate against a person for being homosexual or transgender without discriminating against that individual based on sex.” While workers in about half the country were protected by local laws that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, there was no federal law that explicitly barred LGBT workers from being fired on that basis. The cases were brought by three workers who said they were fired from their jobs because they were gay or transgender. They argued that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which says that employers may not discriminate based on “sex,” also applies to sexual orientation and gender identity. Gorsuch was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts, a fellow conservative, and the court’s liberal wing, Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh dissented. Gerald Bostock, one of the plaintiffs, said in an interview he was “elated.” Bostock was fired from his job as a child welfare services coordinator in 2013 after joining a gay softball league. “This has been a long seven years as you know,” Bostock said. When the decision came out, Bostock said, “I went into shock. My partner and I embraced. I was thinking this has to be good, this has to be good.” “I’ve just been on a high ever since,” Bostock said. The two other plaintiffs in the cases have died. Bostock said that he was sure they were “in heaven on a big cloud, smiling down.” Advocacy groups, business leaders and politicians immediately cheered the ruling. “This decision sends an unambiguous message that equal protection under the law applies to all and that an employee’s failure to adhere to an employer’s gender stereotype is not a licence to discriminate,” Kristen Browde, co-chair of the National Trans Bar Association, said in a statement. Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, said the decision “affirms what shouldn’t have even been a debate: LGBTQ Americans should be able to work without fear of losing jobs because of who they are.” Apple Tim Cook, the first Fortune 500 chief executive to come out as gay, tweeted that he was grateful for the ruling. For access to live and exclusive video from CNBC subscribe to CNBC PRO: https://cnb.cx/2JdMwO7 » Subscribe to CNBC TV: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBCtelevision » Subscribe to CNBC: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBC » Subscribe to CNBC Classic: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBCclassic Turn to CNBC TV for the latest stock market news and analysis. From market futures to live price updates CNBC is the leader in business news worldwide. Connect with CNBC News Online Get the latest news: http://www.cnbc.com/ Follow CNBC on LinkedIn: https://cnb.cx/LinkedInCNBC Follow CNBC News on Facebook: https://cnb.cx/LikeCNBC Follow CNBC News on Twitter: https://cnb.cx/FollowCNBC Follow CNBC News on Instagram: https://cnb.cx/InstagramCNBC #CNBC #CNBC TV

• published: 15 Jun 2020
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