Supreme Court’s Marriage Ruling Doesn’t Help Employment Or Housing Discrimination

The Supreme Court made history on Friday, June 26 by ruling same-sex marriage bans as unconstitutional in all 50 states of the United States of America. But Americans have a long ways to go when it comes to fighting for gay rights, especially when it comes to employment and housing.

The fight for LGBT rights is far from over. Many republicans, conservatives, and religious leaders have already spoken out about the Supreme Court’s marriage ruling. The LGBT community will still be fighting for their rights for a long time while facing discrimination from the opposing side.

Noah Michelson, editorial director of the Huffington Post Voices and founder of HuffPost Gay Voices, explained why the Supreme Court’s ruling still won’t make a difference with discrimination.

“We can pass all of the laws we want and talk about public policy until we run out of air, but until our society stops thinking of queer people as deviant or corrupt or sinful or in any way less than non-queer people, nothing is going to change.”

Even though the Supreme Court’s ruling is seen as historic and great, there’s still a long ways to go when it comes to embracing equality.

“It’s probably the most difficult thing we face and the only way to do it is to come out as queer whenever we can. And once we’re out, we need to talk openly and honestly about our lives and who we love and how we have sex. It’s only after we’ve challenged and changed the most basic and fundamental viewpoints about who we are that we can really begin to think about true liberation and true equality.”

Some of the things that gay rights activists will continue to fight for is workplace and housing discrimination. There’s still no federal law that protects the LGBT community from workplace discrimination. Although 21 states have passed non-discrimination laws, it’s still widely accepted in many states. Employers can fire workers based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Same-sex marriage will even make gays and lesbians more susceptible to these state laws.

The Supreme Court did uphold the household discrimination law when it comes to civil rights groups. According to USA Today, the law “prohibits exclusion on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, disability, or family status.” A landlord or organization can also be held accountable for housing discrimination even if it wasn’t intended. However, the Supreme Court’s upholding of the household discrimination law still doesn’t protect same-sex couples.

Same-sex couples will also have to fight to their rights when it comes to becoming the legal parents of their children. In Wisconsin, both members of a same-sex marriage cannot appear on a child’s birth certificate. There are also religious freedom laws in states like Indiana that refuse to serve to LGBT customers.

There are many other problems that gay Americans will continue to face such as the lack of gender-neutral restrooms, the fight against gay conversion therapy, discrimination in jails and prisons, health risks, suicide rates, and violence. In addition, they still have to fight for acceptance in business, entertainment, politics, sports, and other industries.

The Supreme Court’s marriage ruling not only shows how far America has come, but also how much this country still has to go. No doubt this historic milestone will benefit tens of thousands of Americans enjoy the benefits of a legal union, but it also puts the LGBT community at risk, according to gay rights activist Cleve Jones.

“Now what? What about that kid that’s still in Altoona, Pennsylvania? What about that lesbian couple in Birmingham, Alabama? What about that trans cop in Jackson, Mississippi? What about their lives?”

What are your thoughts on the Supreme Court’s ruling to allow same-sex marriage in 50 states? Do you think America still has a ways to go when it comes to gay rights? Share your thoughts below in the comments section.

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