A new Marquette poll shows there is a growing support for prohibiting employment discrimination against the LGBTQ community.
This comes as the Supreme Court hears two cases regarding LGBTQ employment discrimination, in which their end decision could determine whether employers are free to fire workers based on their sexual orientation.
The poll took information from more than 1400 adults and had a margin of error of +/- 3.6 percentage points.
Support for equal rights has increased
According to previous Pew Research Center data, 55% of Americans favored same-sex marriage in 2015, but that number has since jumped to 61% in 2019. On top of that, more than 60% of respondents to the Marquette poll said they support laws banning employment discrimination against LGBTQ people.
Favor seems to be trending up in the courts as well
In her oral arguments for one of the cases, Justice Elena Kagan said the language regarding employment discrimination is “expansive” and that it takes a worker’s gender into account, rather than their sexual preferences. She says by this standard, the discrimination of sexual orientation would be considered illegal.
Public opinion could play a role in outcomes
U.S. Supreme Court judges are supposed to make decisions based on the law rather than public opinion polls. However, a source within the court has suggested that public opinion could play a significant role in the outcome of these upcoming cases.
As some parts of society are still changing their attitude on sexual orientation, there is still a long way to go in the fight for equality. An experienced LGBTQ attorney can help those who have been fired or discriminated against based on their sexual orientation understand their rights and take their case to court.