During Pride Month New Jersey citizens celebrate inclusivity. They turn out to events in a show of support and acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community. In fact, to many in the younger generations, acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community is normal and common. It is all too obvious to employment discrimination lawyers, however, that workplace discrimination against LGBTQ+ people still exists. These actions are illegal; many New Jersey laws and Supreme Court Decisions prohibit LGBTQ+ discrimination. If you have been unjustly fired from your job because of your sexual orientation or gender expression, contact a New Jersey lawyer to stand up against LGBTQ+ employment discrimination.
New Jersey Laws and Court Decisions that Protect LGBTQ+ People From Discrimination
These are some laws and Supreme Court decisions that protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination in their personal and professional lives.
- In 1967, the Supreme Court decision One Eleven Liquors, Inc. v. Division of Alcoholic Beverages Commission protected people from arrest and harassment by police simply for attending LGBTQ+ social gatherings.
- A 1991 amendment to New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination specifically mentioned sexual orientation as a basis on which employers may not discriminate against employees. In 2006, another amendment banned workplace discrimination on the basis of gender identity and gender expression.
- Since 1997, unmarried people may adopt children; the adoptive parent’s sexual orientation does not affect the decision to approve the adoption. New laws signed by Governor Phil Murphy in 2020 have removed even more obstacles to adoption by LGBTQ+ parents. In 2018, Gov. Murphy signed into law a bill granting access to gestational surrogacy for same-sex couples.
- Marriage by same-sex couples in New Jersey became legal by a Supreme Court decision on October 21, 2013.
- As of 2019, it is possible to change the name and gender listed on one’s birth certificate, regardless of whether you have had any gender-affirming medical treatments.
- As of 2020, you can change the gender listed on your driver’s license without a doctor’s note. New Jersey has plans to include “X” as a gender option on official state documents.
- On June 15, 2020 the US Supreme Court decided that members of the LGBTQ+ community have sex-based protections under the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Discrimination Against LGBTQ+ People Continues
The legal changes that have afforded LGBTQ+ people protection against discrimination are possible in part because people who experienced discrimination challenged the status quo in court. You have everything to gain by bringing a lawsuit if you have experienced discrimination because of your sexual orientation or gender identity.
Contact McOmber McOmber & Luber About Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Cases
McOmber McOmber & Luber, P.C. has a team of employment discrimination lawyers who can help you if you were unjustly terminated from a job or harassed at work because of your gender identity or sexual orientation. Please call our office in Red Bank, New Jersey at 732-842-6500, our Marlton, New Jersey office at 856-985-9800, or our Newark, New Jersey office at 973-787-9040 to find out more.