Seventh Circuit is the First Federal Court of Appeals to Recognize Sexual Orientation as a Federally Protected Class
APPLIES TO All Employers with IL, IN, and WI Employees |
EFFECTIVE April 4, 2017 |
QUESTIONS? Contact HR On-Call |
In Hively v. Ivy Tech Community College, hearing the case en banc, the Seventh Circuit became the first federal court of appeals to determine that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is a form of sex discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The court stated that “it is impossible to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation without discriminating on the basis of sex.”
This landmark decision effectively prohibits discrimination and retaliation against applicants and employees on the basis of sexual orientation under federal law.