Community,
A conservative Northern New Mexico Congressional candidate, Alexis Martinez Johnson, wants to give employers a license to discriminate against transgender employees.
Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court heard three cases that could either take away existing LGBTQ+ employment protections, or affirm that existing federal law does protect LGBTQ+ people. Although we will remain protected in New Mexico, these cases have the potential to erode the fabric of our nation’s character. With a conservative majority on the Court, a bad decision could undermine our nation’s nondiscrimination laws and invite discrimination and harassment against LGBTQ+ people nationwide.
Here's where it gets good: yesterday, in an interview with KOB-TV's Chris Ramirez, when asked about the upcoming decision on three Title VII nondiscrimination cases, Martinez Johnson says:
"If the individual is employed, and they decide to be transgender and be in a situation like that, I think the employer should have the ability to make the decision, but we will see what the Supreme Court says, and we will follow the rule of the law."
Say what?
It's 2020. (but then again, maybe that's the problem, amirite?)
People do not choose to be transgender.
Transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people should never have employers make decisions about their bodies.
At Equality New Mexico, we've spent the last 27 years winning equality by enshrining protections for the trans and queer community into law. In fact, after the unanimous passage of the Nondiscrimination Equality Act in 2019, New Mexicans enjoy (and will continue to enjoy) some of the strongest protections in the nation. Martinez Johnson would have us go backwards decades.
It's clear we have work to do, still. Join us in the fight. Click here now to donate>>>
If you have saved your payment information with FastAction, your contribution will go through immediately on clicking a link.
Adrian N. Carver
Executive Director
Equality New Mexico