The U.S. Supreme Court's decision Monday that employers cannot discriminate in hiring due to a candidate's sexual or gender preference was a surprising revelation for many Americans, including Sarah Kate Ellis, the president and CEO of GLAAD.

"It was groundbreaking. It was historic today," she told Cheddar.

Still, Ellis said this is just a small part of the rights challenges members of the LGBTQ community face.

"We're debating whether or not I can be fired from my job at the Supreme Court simply because I'm gay. It shouldn't even be a discussion," she said.

The historic decision came just days after the Trump administration rolled back healthcare protections for transgender people under the Affordable Care Act -- a move which Ellis said is in line with the president's broader dismissal of LGBTQ people throughout his term.

"This administration has attacked the LGBTQ community 150 times with both policy rollbacks and rhetoric since he's come into power," she said.

As demonstrators across the nation call for social justice and equality this June, Ellis said that it is important for Pride month supporters to remember where it started. 

"Pride is a protest, and we need to be on the streets," she stated. "We have to go back to our roots this one. This Pride especially."

She noted that 14 members of the trans community have been violently killed so far this year.

In 2020, a year unlike any other with a pandemic canceling Pride celebrations and calls for social justice amplified throughout the nation, Ellis tasked people to come together now to force real change.

"Our community is our power. Our identity is our power," she said. "We need to be fighting for Black Lives Matter, for our trans community. We have to be standing up for each other right now, and we need to be locking arms as marginalized communities."

Share:
More In Politics
Deconstructing Stormy Daniels' "Nothing Burger"
Adult film star Stormy Daniels has no proof to back up any of her claims, including the assertion that she was threatened to stay silent by President Trump's team. For that reason, she isn't a legal threat to the president, says former prosecutor Jonna Spilbor. Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, sat down in an exclusive interview on "60 Minutes" Sunday.
David Hogg on Preparing for #MarchForOurLives
Student-turned-activist David Hogg speaks with Cheddar's J.D. Durkin ahead of Saturday's March For Our Lives rallies. The event in Washington D.C. and around the world will push for action on gun reform. Hogg is a survivor of the Parkland, Fla., high school shooting last month.
Tariffs and Tech Spell Bad News for Markets
President Trump's proposed tariffs on Chinese imports and Facebook's privacy scandal both weighed down markets Thursday, said Daniel Ives, Chief Strategy Officer at GBH Insights. The Dow ended the day more than 700 points lower.
Grading Mark Zuckerberg's Performance
On Wednesday night, the Facebook CEO sat down with four media outlets to discuss the Cambridge Analytica scandal that has engulfed the company for the past week. While he hit the right tone and talking points, he didn't really address most users' concerns, says Ina Fried, Chief Technology Correspondent at Axios.
Rep. Garamendi (D-CA): "The Russians Must Have Something on Trump"
Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA) told Cheddar he believes the Trump campaign was aware of the use of private data harvested off Facebook and is outraged the social media company sought to profit off the move. The company remains under fire amid a data scandal that unveiled private information of more than 50 million users to an analytics firm working for the Trump campaign.
Cambridge Analytica CEO Suspended, and the FTC Probes Facebook
Federal regulators will try to find out whether the social media company knew what Cambridge Analytica was doing with data harvested off of its platform, says Jesse Byrnes, Associate Editor of The Hill. The agency launched a probe into the social media network on Tuesday after revelations the data firm used information about millions of Americans to help President Trump's campaign.
Opening Bell: March 20, 2018
The fallout from Facebook's latest data scandal continues to intensify. The Weinstein Co. officially files for bankruptcy protection after many attempts to sell the company failed. Josh Sternberg, tech editor for AdWeek, joins us to discusses how Uber moves forward after one of its driverless cars killed a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona. And Bri Bauer from Dairy Queen brings ice cream cones to the trading floor to celebrate the company's National Cone Day. On the first day of spring, Dairy Queen gives customers free vanilla ice cream cones.
Could the AT&T / Time Warner Deal Be Good Business?
"Content is king, and pipes are commodities." That, in a nutshell, is why the wireless giant wants to join forces with the content creator, explains Ben Gomes-Casseres, professor of International Business at Brandeis International Business School. The DoJ is seeking to block the merger, citing anti-trust issues, and the trial will kick off on Wednesday.
Load More