We believe that there is no place for discrimination in the workplace.
That’s why we join with the LGBTQ community to celebrate the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling today affirming that workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity is prohibited by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 – a landmark victory for gay and transgender people that feels particularly meaningful during this month of Pride.
We have advocated for equality for decades. The success of a business depends on its ability to recruit and retain the best talent and enable an inclusive workplace, and we will continue to fight for policies that foster equality, and against those that undermine those values.
Levi Strauss & Co. had joined with others in the business community to sign several amicus briefs supporting the argument that gay and transgender workers should be protected from discrimination by the Civil Rights Act, which also makes it illegal to discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin.
While this win represents a huge step forward for equality in the workplace, there are still many areas of society where LGBTQ people lack basic legal protections. We were one of the first companies to endorse the Equality Act when it was introduced in 2015, and we still support it today. The Equality Act, which was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2019 but has not been taken up by the U.S. Senate, would provide explicit protection against discrimination for LGBTQ people in areas like employment, housing, credit, education, federally funded programs and public spaces and services. (To urge Congress to pass the Equality Act, sign the Human Rights Campaign’s petition.)
We also make sure to bring our values to life in our own stores as a founding member of the Open to All campaign, a commitment to welcoming everyone into our stores and our communities, regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, immigration status, religion, or disability.
We have long been, and will continue to be, vocal supporters of equality and nondiscrimination in the workplace, because we firmly believe it makes our country a better place to live and work for everyone.
