LCLAA Commemorates the Anniversary of Stonewall

Washington, DC - During this week in 1969, a violent police raid broke out in the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City. Local residents and LGBTQ+ activist organizations protested for days, demanding the right to live openly and without fear of being incarcerated because of their sexual orientation. 

LCLAA honors all the individuals who bravely fought despite incarceration and police brutality. Their actions directly led to the development of nationwide pride marches and gay rights groups in every major American city. Their legacy has led to many of the liberties and freedoms that LGBTQ+ individuals now have.

Without the protests at Stonewall and the decades of activism that have followed, LGBTQ+ individuals could not have gained increased protections in the workplace. Workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity only became unlawful in 2020 through the Supreme Court Case Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia. 

However, despite this coded language and progress, LGBTQ+ individuals still face inequities. LGBTQ+ individuals are more likely to be unemployed and impoverished than their straight counterparts, and one-third of LGBTQ+ workers say they have experienced discrimination in the workplace. LGBTQ+ workers earn less than the typical worker, and the pay disparity only enlarges for LGBTQ+ workers of color. LGBTQ+ Latina workers earn 72 cents for every dollar the typical worker earns. For this reason, almost half of LGBTQ+ workers do not reveal their sexual identity at work. 

LCLAA is proud to be firm in its dedication to protecting LGBTQ+ workers, especially as the attack on LGBTQ+ rights grows. At the state level, legislators are introducing bill after bill targeting LGBTQ+ individuals and children, restricting their access to sports, and censoring what can be said in the classroom. Politicians are actively focusing on outcasting LGBTQ+ individuals, fully aware of the high suicide, depression, and drug abuse rates in the LGBTQ+ community because of their constant othering and exclusion. For this reason, LCLAA continues to partner with other organizations and has recently signed the Leadership Conference’s letter calling for the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ youth.

LCLAA, in its fight for workers’ rights and its struggle for Latino rights, want nothing more than to promote LGBTQ+ individuals in the workplace and for LGBTQ+ individuals to feel that sharing their sexuality will not be a detriment to their professional well-being and success.  

Read the Human Rights Campaigns report to learn how policymakers and employers can promote pay equity for LGBTQ+ workers.