Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


With Landmark Decision, US Supreme Court Expands Protections for LGBTQ
Workers

Masood Farivar

   WASHINGTON - For LGBTQ rights activist Jerame Davis, the U.S. Supreme
   Court's historic ruling Monday banning workplace discrimination based
   on sexual orientation and gender identity is all too personal.

   In 1999, Davis, then 24, was an assistant manager at a grocery chain
   store in Bloomington, Indiana.

   At a corporate meeting, store manager Bill Browning, now Davis'husband,
   suggested the company "expand its nondiscrimination" policy to include
   gays and lesbians.

   Within days, Browning was fired. After criticizing the firing, Davis
   said, he was also let go. A few days later, another gay store clerk was
   forced to quit amid "the new management's anti-gay taunts and jeers,"
   according to Browning's account.

   Though the city of Bloomington had passed a nondiscrimination ordinance
   that protected gays and lesbians, under Indiana state law, their firing
   was perfectly legal.

   "So, when we looked for help, we couldn't find help," Davis recalled.
   "No lawyer would take our case."

   Their only legal recourse was a complaint with the local human rights
   commission. But it took days of picketing outside the store by gay
   rights activists and union members for the company to offer a
   settlement.

   In those days, Davis said, the settlement was a rarity.

.