Andy Cohen, Laverne Cox and More Stars React to Supreme Court's Historic Ruling For LGBTQ Employees
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday that federal civil rights law forbids employers from discriminating against workers based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
In a six to three vote, the court determined that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964—which bars job discrimination based on race, religion, national origin and sex—protects members of the LGBTQ community from workplace discrimination.
"Judges are not free to overlook plain statutory commands on the strength of nothing more than suppositions about intentions or guesswork about expectations," Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the court. "In Title VII, Congress adopted broad language making it illegal for an employer to rely on an employee's sex when deciding to fire that employee. We do not hesitate to recognize today a necessary consequence of that legislative choice: An employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender defies the law."
Taylor Swift, Camila Cabello & More Celebs Show Support for Pride
After the ruling was made, several celebrities reacted to the news on social media.
"This is just incredible news!" Mandy Moore tweeted. "A bright spot in a dark time."
"A huge win for the #LGBTQ community today, as the Supreme Court ruled that living authentically is not a fireable offense," Billie Jean King added. "Protection under the law will now be afforded to millions of workers nationwide."
"We have won at the Supreme Court of the United States," Laverne Cox said while tearing up in part of an Instagram Stories post. "It's very emotional. We won at the Supreme Court. I can't even believe it. I'm overwhelmed. A six-three decision stating that it is illegal to fire someone for being LGBTQ in the United States of America."
To see more celebrity reactions, see below.
Andy Cohen
"Hey Brett Kavanaugh—f--k you," the Bravo host tweeted.
Tim Cook
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Grateful for today’s decision by the Supreme Court. LGBTQ people deserve equal treatment in the workplace and throughout society, and today’s decision further underlines that federal law protects their right to fairness.</p>— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) <a href="https://twitter.com/tim_cook/status/1272544803843014656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 15, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
George Takei
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The LGBTQ civil rights movement began 51 years ago with the Stonewall Riots, led by trans POC heroes. Today we mark another milestone in our struggle for equality with a victory in the Supreme Court, extending Title VII nondiscrimination protections to LGBTQs.<br><br>O happy day!</p>— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) <a href="https://twitter.com/GeorgeTakei/status/1272547030557229059?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 15, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Jonathan Van Ness
"F--k yes Supreme Court," the Queer Eye star wrote.
Jazz Jennings
"Great news for the LGBTQ+ community," the activist and I Am Jazz star wrote on Instagram. "History has been made #WeAreHere #equality."
Cynthia Nixon
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">HUGE VICTORY FOR LGBTQ RIGHTS!!!<br><br>Happy Pride Everybody -- the Supreme Court has decided LGBTQ people can sue for workplace bias.🏳️🌈⚖️<br><br>Thank you to <a href="https://twitter.com/LambdaLegal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LambdaLegal</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/ACLU?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ACLU</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/chaifeldblum?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@chaifeldblum</a>, trans leaders and litigants. <a href="https://t.co/CFMuikumxy">https://t.co/CFMuikumxy</a></p>— Cynthia Nixon (@CynthiaNixon) <a href="https://twitter.com/CynthiaNixon/status/1272536993084444675?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 15, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Taylor Swift
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">YES!! Thank you to the Supreme Court Justices who voted in favor and all the advocates who have fought so hard for this! We still have a long way to go to reach equality, but this is a beautiful step forward. 🌈❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🌈 <a href="https://t.co/zTd3i5P2TL">https://t.co/zTd3i5P2TL</a></p>— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) <a href="https://twitter.com/taylorswift13/status/1272580877231456257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 15, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Chelsea Handler
"The world is only getting browner and gayer, so you better hop aboard, or you're going to miss the bus," the comedy star tweeted. "Even a conservative Supreme Court got on the bus. What a great day for America. Woo hoo!!!"
