Colin Vandell is a trusted adviser to clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to start-ups, nonprofit organizations, and high-net-worth individuals. Colin's trial and arbitration practice focuses on complex civil litigation, including commercial, intellectual property, mass tort, consumer protection, and trust and estate disputes. These matters span a variety of industries, with an emphasis on entertainment and media, real estate, hospitality, and consumer products. Colin serves as chair of LGBTQ @ Venable, whose mission is to provide education and professional development opportunities for our firm’s LGBTQ lawyers, clients, and friends.

This summer, the United States Supreme Court held that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protects workers from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. In a 6-3 opinion, Justice Neil Gorsuch found that “homosexuality and transgender status are inextricably bound up with sex,” and as a result, “it is impossible to discriminate against a person for being homosexual or transgender without discriminating against that individual based on sex.” Bostock v. Clayton Cnty., Ga., 590 U.S. __ (2020).

While this landmark decision ensures that sexual orientation and gender identity are protected categories under federal law, many individual states and localities provide varying degrees of protection for LGBTQ+ workers. For employers in the entertainment industry, it is important to be aware of these state and local laws when structuring and implementing employment policies, as those laws can significantly impact prospective liability.Continue Reading Following a Landmark Decision for LGBTQ+ Workers, State and Local Laws Impacting the Entertainment Industry Are Still Vastly Different