Regarding the Jan. 1 editorial “Cause for celebration”:
I’m one of the most optimistic of all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activists, but I cringe every time I hear the “gets married at 10 a.m.” and “fired from their jobs by noon” warning . Just because the Human Rights Campaign repeats it doesn’t make it so.
Thanks to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, in 2015 lesbian, gay and bisexual people joined transgender people in becoming protected against employment discrimination under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act — the gold standard. The Equality Act, which would ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, will be terrific when we can get it passed, but it’s not happening anytime soon. In the meantime, we need to take advantage of the most important civil rights law in U.S. history.
Dana Beyer, Chevy Chase
The writer is chair of the advisory board of Freedom to Work and executive director of Gender Rights Maryland.
