Las Cruces LGBTQ community worries as Supreme Court gets set to decide landmark civil rights case

Queer Las Cruces residents worry that a U.S. Supreme Court case ruling could permanently affect their rights in the workplace.

“This is something that affects people’s ability to live,” said Maria Ramos, who identifies as cisgender and pansexual. “If someone decides that you shouldn’t have a job based on who you are, they’re deciding that you shouldn’t have a home and you shouldn’t be able to eat and you shouldn’t be able to care for your family.”

If a person identifies as cisgender, it means their gender identity corresponds with their assigned sex. People who identify as pansexual are attracted to multiple gender identities and sexual orientations, according to Merriam-Webster.

The Supreme Court will decide whether an employee’s gender identity or sexual orientation is protected under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, also known as Title VII. Depending on the ruling of the case, an employer could fire an employee because they are gay or transgender.

“Just because you have decided for whatever reason that you don’t want to interact with certain people in society, you can’t use the systemic power that you have to make sure that person can’t afford to live,” Ramos said.

One of the stories at the center of the national debate is that of Aimee Stephens.

For years, Stephens identified as a male funeral director, according to NPR. However, two weeks after she came out as a transgender woman, her boss fired her.

The attorney for the Harris Funeral Home argued that Stephens violated the dress code.

“Sex-specific polices are lawful under Title VII,” said John Brusch, who represents the funeral home. “We’re dealing here with an employee who chose not to follow that dress code. To let them go is perfectly appropriate under title VII.”