June 15, 2020
The Central Conference of American Rabbis celebrates today’s Supreme Court ruling, at long last acknowledging that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 bars employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Writing on behalf of a striking majority, Justice Gorsuch proclaimed: “An employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender defies the law.”
The CCAR has advocated for equal rights on the basis of sexual orientation for decades and was the first major national Jewish organization to advocate for full equality for transgender and gender non-conforming individuals. In our 2015 Resolution on The Rights of Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Individuals, we point to several CCAR Responsa that call for welcoming transgender Jews into our community on an equal basis, including a 2009 declaration: “We have no need as a community…to question any person’s expressed gender identity…Our concern, quite simply, is to welcome [each person] into the midst of the community of Israel” (CCAR 5769.6).
Today is a great day in the history of the United States of America. Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Americans now enjoy legal protection against employment discrimination. The Central Conference of American Rabbis celebrates this landmark achievement and, guided by words of Torah (Deuteronomy 16:20), pledges to continue our constant pursuit of equality and justice for all people.
Rabbi Ronald Segal Rabbi Hara E. Person
President Chief Executive
Central Conference of American Rabbis