Supreme Court Denies Hearing for LGBT Workplace Discrimination Case

The Supreme Court has denied to review a case where a gay woman claims she was harassed and passed over for a promotion because of her sexual identity.

Jameka Evans worked as a security guard at Georgia Regional Hospital in Savannah, and during her two years there, she was criticized for wearing male uniforms and questioned often about her relationships.

Evans is hoping to enforce Title VII against her former employer. Title VII is the provision of the Civil Rights Act that prohibits workplace discrimination based on race, religion, sex, and national origin. Under the Obama administration, the "sex" language in the law was interpreted to include sexual orientation and gender identity; however, the Trump administration has rolled back that definition.

The Supreme Court similarly declined to hear a case where a Texas court refused to provide public benefits for married, same-sex couples.

In response to the decision, JoLynn Markison, at the international law firm Dorsey & Whitney, released a statement about Evans' case, urging employers to support their LGBTQ workers.

"This may be a good time for employers committed to LGBTQ diversity and inclusion to communicate to their LGBTQ employees that regardless of whether the law protects them, their employer will," she said. "A company message sent to all employees, reaffirming the company's commitment to equal treatment of LGBTQ individuals is a simple, yet extremely effective, way to demonstrate the company's support for its LGBTQ employees."