Barbados Times

Barbados, Caribbean & World News
Saturday, Feb 22, 2025

More Than 100 Protestors Arrested as Supreme Court Hears LGBTQ Rights Cases

More Than 100 Protestors Arrested as Supreme Court Hears LGBTQ Rights Cases

As the Supreme Court heard arguments in two cases involving LGBTQ employment rights, over 100 protesters were reportedly arrested.

More than 100 protestors were arrested in Washington, D.C., Tuesday as the Supreme Court heard arguments in cases involving LGBTQ rights.

Police arrested 133 protestors for "Crowding, Obstructing, or Incommoding," Capitol Police spokesperson Eva Malecki told Gay City News. More than 500 people are believed to have participated in the protest.

The demonstration was organized by the advocacy group Housing Works, who announced the protest in September, alongside plans to bus participants to the protest from the group's New York City base.

The group describes itself as "a healing community of people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS," and it states their mission is "to end the dual crises of homelessness and AIDS through relentless advocacy, the provision of lifesaving services, and entrepreneurial businesses that sustain our efforts."

"#LGBTQRights are #CivilRights!! Today we are demanding the #SCOTUS to uphold queer and trans employment rights #RiseUpOctober8 #WeAreTheWorkforce," the group tweeted Tuesday.

The tweet included a video, which shows protestors carrying a rainbow banner bearing the words "Human Rights for All" while walking down a street and shouting chants that included "trans lives matter," "no fear no hate no license to discriminate" and "two, four, six, eight how do you know your kids are straight?"

The group eventually gathered at an intersection near the Supreme Court. Some could be seen brandishing signs that read "We Will Fight Back," "Imagine Equality," "We are the Workforce" and "Trans Rights Are Civil Rights Are Human Rights."

Later in the video, some of the protestors sit down in the street, surrounded by police, photographers and onlookers.

The protest happened as the Supreme Court heard opening arguments in two cases that observers believe are crucial to LGBTQ employment rights.

In one of the cases, a man claims he was fired from his job as a child welfare services coordinator in Georgia after employers discovered he was gay. The case was consolidated with another previously separate case, where the estate of a New York man employed as a skydiving instructor made a similar claim about being fired over sexual orientation. The other case involves a Michigan woman who claims she was fired from her job at a funeral home for coming out as transgender.

Advocates fear the new conservative majority of the court will strike a blow against LGBTQ rights in the cases, and the Trump administration seems to be pushing for such a move. Both cases hinge on the Court's interpretation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The key issue is whether the words "because of sex" apply to sexual orientation and gender identity.

The Trump administration has made its position clear, filing briefs in support of the employers in the cases, as have several conservative groups. Although some states have their own legal protections concerning LGBTQ employment rights, the cases could effectively end up legalizing employment discrimination against LGBTQ people on a federal level.

The cases have yet to be decided, and although nothing specific has been announced, it seems likely further protests will continue until and after they reach their conclusions.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Barbados Times
0:00
0:00
Close
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Israel: Unprecedented Civil Disobedience Looms as IDF Reservists Protest Judiciary Reform
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
Europe is boiling: Extreme Weather Conditions Prevail Across the Continent
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Italian Court's Controversial Ruling on Sexual Harassment Ignites Uproar
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
BBC Personalities Rebuke Accusations Amidst Scandal Involving Teen Exploitation
A Swift Disappointment: Why Is Taylor Swift Bypassing Canada on Her Global Tour?
Historic Moment: Edgars Rinkevics, EU's First Openly Gay Head of State, Takes Office as Latvia's President
Bye bye democracy, human rights, freedom: French Cops Can Now Secretly Activate Phone Cameras, Microphones And GPS To Spy On Citizens
The Poor Man With Money, Mark Zuckerberg, Unveils Twitter Replica with Heavy-Handed Censorship: A New Low in Innovation?
Unilever Plummets in a $2.5 Billion Free Fall, to begin with: A Reckoning for Misuse of Corporate Power Against National Interest
Beyond the Blame Game: The Need for Nuanced Perspectives on America's Complex Reality
Twitter Targets Meta: A Tangle of Trade Secrets and Copycat Culture
The Double-Edged Sword of AI: AI is linked to layoffs in industry that created it
US Sanctions on China's Chip Industry Backfire, Prompting Self-Inflicted Blowback
Meta Copy Twitter with New App, Threads
The New French Revolution
BlackRock Bitcoin ETF Application Refiled, Naming Coinbase as ‘Surveillance-Sharing’ Partner
×