Wonderful, but not the only right people need.
Marriage equality is spreading to the entire United States, and celebration is in order. But do not for a moment think that the fight for LGBT equality is over. In more than half of the country, it is
still legal to fire someone or refuse to hire them on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, and that's not the only form of legal discrimination people may face as they exercise their new legal right to marry. As Philip Elliott writes:
Take Texas, a state where gay marriages have not been recognized. Pretty soon, a gay man might be able to head to Abilene City Hall for a marriage license and take his vows with his longtime partner. His boss could then fire him and his landlord start eviction proceedings based on his sexual orientation, and it would be perfectly legal. [...]
And it’s not just Texas. Indeed, more than 206 million Americans — nearly two thirds of the country — live in states where employers can be fired someone for being gay. Only 18 states and the District of Columbia prohibit housing discrimination based on a tenant’s sexuality or sexual identity. Three others prohibit discrimination on sexuality. The remaining 166 million Americans live in states where landlords can evict someone for their sexuality. Friday’s ruling had no effect on what conservative attorney Ted Olson, who argued California’s landmark same-sex marriage case before the Supreme Court, called a “crazy quilt” of laws that unequally treat gays and lesbians.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, similarly pointed to
the unfinished business of equality in her response to the Supreme Court's decision, saying in a statement that "there is more work to do in our fight for full equality. As a gay woman and union leader, I know that I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for my union—an ally in the struggle for rights and a shield from unfair discrimination in the workplace" and calling for "comprehensive federal nondiscrimination protections."
