FBANC Statement in Solidarity with the LGBTQ Community
The Filipino Bar Association of Northern California (FBANC) applauds the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 15, 2020 ruling on LGBTQ worker protections in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia. In Bostock, the Supreme Court held that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which forbids discrimination “because of sex,” applies to LGBTQ+ employees. This landmark decision extends federal workplace protections for all LGBTQ+ employees who reside in areas where state and local laws do not already prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.
“While it is important to celebrate the Supreme Court’s landmark decision extending federal workplace protections to LGBTQ+ employees, it is also crucial to stand up against the attack on civil rights that curtail access of members of the LGBTQ+ community to critical health protections,” said Mari Bandoma Callado, President of FBANC.
Since its inception, FBANC has championed diversity within the legal profession and for the community it serves. As leaders in our community, we hold a continued commitment to fight against bigotry and intolerance. FBANC will not stand idly by when members of our community are denied basic human rights and healthcare. FBANC stands against a new U.S. Department of Health and Human Services administrative rule enacted on June 12, 2020, which narrows the legal definition of sex discrimination in the Affordable Care Act, omitting protections for queer and transgender people, as well as those who are seeking to or have had an abortion.
FBANC stands in solidarity with the LGBTQ community especially in the midst of this pandemic when communities are most vulnerable. This most recent attack on LGBTQ rights was instituted specifically during Pride Month (June), and on the fourth anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub massacre, an incident involving the death of 49 victims, including queer and transgender individuals. FBANC urges you to donate and support reputable organizations in the fight against the erasure of LGBTQ rights.
Contact Mari Bandoma Callado, FBANC President maribandoma@fbanc.org and/or FBANC Vice President and LGBT Committee Chair Raymond Rollan raymondrollan@fbanc.org for more information and/or to join FBANC’s LGBTQ Committee.