The Trump administration will urge a US appeals court in Manhattan to rule that federal law does not ban discrimination against gay employees. This follows an amicus brief filed by the Department of Justice that argued that Title VII does not protect lesbian, gay, or bisexual people on the basis of sexual orientation. That includes employment “discrimination based on sexual orientation.” The DOJ filed the brief in regards to Donald Zarda who filed suit against his employer Altitude Express. Zarda, a skydiving instructor, was fired after coming out to a customer. Zarda has passed away since the case finally made it to trial, but his estate has continued to seek justice for him. The US Department of Justice is supporting the New York skydiving company.

According the AP: “The Trump administration’s involvement in the lawsuit is one of several moves it has made that has alarmed LGBTQ groups. Last month, President Donald Trump signed a memorandum directing the U.S. military not to accept transgender men and women as recruits.”

The EEOC is set to appear at the hearing.

Hopefully protecting the LGBT community when it comes to employment discrimination will be taken up by the US Supreme Court, and we can settle that the LGBT community is a protected class once and for all.