John Smith was assaulted on the loading dock by a coworker, Jim Jones, at the Acme Widget Company. The attack was unprovoked by Smith. After the physical assault, there was an angry verbal exchange between the parties. The incident ended when Jones yelled that Smith was a "sissy" and "everybody knows you're queer as a three dollar bill." Which of the following statements best describes the outcome of the harassment lawsuit filed by Smith under The Civil Right Act of 1964?
I. Sex discrimination is prohibited by the Civil Right Act of 1964.
II. Sexual orientation discrimination is prohibited by the Civil Right Act of 1964.
III. All states have laws barring sexual orientation discrimination.
IV. Sexual orientation discrimination is not explicitly prohibited by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
A)I only
B)II and III
C)III and IV
D)I and IV

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits sex discrimination, which includes discrimination based on gender stereotypes or sexual harassment, but it does not explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. While some states have laws banning discrimination based on sexual orientation, this is not a federal protected class under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Therefore, option I is correct and option II is incorrect. Option III is partially correct but not relevant to the outcome of the lawsuit. Option IV correctly states that sexual orientation discrimination is not explicitly prohibited by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Therefore, the best choice is D.

John Smith Was Assaulted on the Loading Dock by a Coworker