Should the Federal Courts Apply the Civil Rights Act to Gay People? New at Reason

On gay rights, America has come a great distance in a short time. Remember the days, not so long ago, that gays stayed in the closet, sodomy was a crime, same-sex marriage was banned and people could be fired from their jobs because of their sexual orientation?

Actually, you don’t have to try to remember that last. It’s still the case in 28 states, including Mike Pence’s Indiana, that holding hands with your same-sex partner in public can mean losing your livelihood. A bigoted boss can cashier a good employee for loving someone of the wrong gender.

This unprotected status is an anomaly under the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which forbids employment discrimination on the basis of “race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.” African-Americans and other racial minorities are protected, Catholics and Muslims are protected, women are protected and immigrants are protected. Gays are not. Steve Chapman asks if it’s time for a change.

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