A federal judge in Pittsburgh sided the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) position that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects against discrimination based on sexual orientation.

In the case of U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Scott Medical Health Center, Judge Cathy Bissoon ruled, “There is no more obvious form of sex stereotyping than making a determination that a person should conform to heterosexuality.”

In the suit, the EEOC argued that a gay male employee was subjected to harassment because of his sexual orientation. Last year, the EEOC determined in Baldwin v. Foxx that sexual orientation discrimination is sex discrimination, thus workers are protected under Title VII from employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. In 2012, the EEOC determined in Macy v. Holder that gender identity discrimination is sex discrimination.

This new decision continues an important trend in the development of case law. The Supreme Court has not yet ruled on this issue.