Sylvia Bokyung St. Clair Comments on Effect of Title VII Ruling on the Hotel Industry

Labor & Employment associate Sylvia Bokyung St. Clair spoke with Hotel News Now regarding how the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 may influence the hotel industry in an article titled “What Title VII civil rights ruling means for employers.”

While many courts had already interpreted Title VII to include sexual orientation and gender identity under its protections, there was a split resulting from decisions in certain courts of appeal.

“What this decision did was it affirmatively, explicitly held that Title VII does in fact cover both sexual orientation and gender identity, even if they’re not explicitly listed under the title,” St. Clair said.

She went on to discuss the impact the decision will have on employers, advising employers operating in states where these protections didn’t already exist to ensure their anti-discrimination and anti-retaliation policies include these updated protections; update their anti-harassment training modules to include scenarios reflecting LGBTQ issues; and consider policies related to restroom usage in the workplace.