On June 29, 2015, the Supreme Court declared that state bans on marriage of people of the same sex were unconstitutional, opening the way for same-sex couples nationwide to legally marry. The United States became the 22nd country to legalize such marriages.

But members of the LGBT community still experience workplace, residential, and accommodations discrimination. While some states expressly forbid discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or identity, in many states it is permissible to fire an employee, evict a tenant, or refuse to serve a person solely because of their LGBT status.

Do you think gays and lesbians should have such protections? The Employment Non-Discrimination Act.(ENDA) has been proposed since 1994, but has never passed out of Congress. Do you think now that marriage-equality has been reached, this bill might have a greater chance of passage? And what do you see in the future regarding the civil rights of the LGBT community? Do you believe that they will be expanded or restricted? Why?

Please keep in mind that this is NOT a discussion about whether you believe that same-sex couples should or should not be permitted to marry – that issue has been decided. Rather, focus the discussion on areas of continuing discriminatory treatment of gays and lesbians.

REMEMBER:

Click on the link about “Employment Non-Discrimination Act” to understand what it is before answering the question