Second Circuit Panel: No, We Still Can't Overturn Precedent On Sexual Orientation Discrimination

As we observed in a recent post on the Seventh Circuit's decision in Hively v. Ivy Tech Community College extending Title VII to sexual orientation claims, the Supreme Court will probably have to resolve the disagreement among the federal circuit courts over whether the statutory language "because of...sex" should be interpreted to include "because of...sexual orientation." And sure enough, on the heels of one Second Circuit panel decision late last month that refused to extend Title VII to cover sexual orientation, a different panel of that court again declined last week to reverse its own precedent, finding that Title VII's prohibition against sex discrimination does not extend to discrimination against lesbian, gay, and bisexual employees based purely on their sexual orientation.