Washington, D.C. — Despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges last week extending marriage equality throughout the nation, more than half of states still allow discrimination against many lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, or LGBT, Americans in vital areas of life. Americans living in these states can be legally married on Sunday and legally fired from their jobs, thrown out of a restaurant, evicted from their homes, or denied a loan on Monday simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
The Center for American Progress has released an updated infographic bringing attention to the problem and calling for Congress to pass comprehensive nondiscrimination legislation that would protect LGBT Americans nationwide.
“The Supreme Court’s decision ensures that the freedom to marry applies to all couples, in every state,” said Laura E. Durso, Director of CAP’s LGBT Research and Communications Project. “However, the Court’s decision does not grant protections from discrimination for LGBT workers, customers, students, renters, and homebuyers, many of whom still face pervasive, legal discrimination across the country. This is a national problem that requires a national solution, which is why Congress needs to pass a comprehensive nondiscrimination law to fully provide the same ‘equal dignity in the eyes of the law’ that Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote about in the marriage equality decision.”
The infographic’s key facts include the following:
- Twenty-eight states lack protections for LGB Americans from discrimination in the areas of housing, employment, education, access to credit, and public accommodations.
- Thirty-one states lack the same protections for transgender Americans.
Click here to view the infographic.
Related resources:
- We the People by Sarah McBride, Laura E. Durso, Hannah Hussey, Sharita Gruberg, and Bishop Gene Robinson