More than 100 members of Congress on Thursday called upon President Trump to implement last month's U.S. Supreme Court decision that says Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 bans anti-LGBTQ employment discrimination.
"In light of the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, we request that your administration direct all relevant agencies to undertake a review of all regulations, executive orders, and agency policies that implicate legal protections for LGBTQ individuals under federal civil rights laws," reads the letter.
The letter notes the Trump administration "has repeatedly issued dozens of regulatory and agency actions premised almost entirely on the claim that federal bans on sex discrimination do not prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity" and points out the White House "argued against the employees in Bostock." The letter also calls upon the Trump administration to identify "the steps it is taking to implement the Bostock decision and fully enforce our nation's civil rights laws that prohibit sex discrimination.
"All people should have confidence that their federal government is working to protect — not undermine — their rights," reads the letter. "We, therefore, ask that you take immediate steps to ensure that LGBTQ people enjoy the full protections of the nation's federal civil rights laws."
U.S. Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) and U.S. Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) are among the lawmakers to who signed the letter.
A separate letter that 116 members of Congress signed on Wednesday urges Defense Secretary Mark Esper and U.S. Attorney General William Barr to rescind the ban on openly transgender service members. The letter of which Norton, Raskin and Wexton are among the signatories also notes the Supreme Court's ruling in the Bostock case.
"This policy is an attack on transgender service members who are risking their lives to serve our country and it should be reversed immediately," reads the letter.
This article originally appeared in the Washington Blade and is made available in partnership with the National LGBT Media Association.
