William Moore, Gerald Bostock, and Aimee Stephens were recently inducted into the Department of Labor Hall of Fame, an honor given only to those who have created a massive change in the field of labor. While Bostock and Stephens are just as important, this story focuses on Moore. Moore is an entrepreneur, advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, and avid supporter of advancements in men’s health. He gained notoriety as he battled the unfair firing of his late partner, Donald Zarda.
Zarda was a skydiving enthusiast, and as such, worked as a skydiving instructor with Altitude Express. In order to make his female clients feel less awkward about being strapped so closely to a man, he would mention that he was gay. Unfortunately, one of his clients took this as harassment and told her boyfriend, who mentioned it to Altitude Express. Altitude Express promptly fired Zarda based solely on the fact that he was gay.
Of course, Moore, Zarda, and his family fought against this with a lawsuit that went on for seven years. Unfortunately, Zarda passed away in 2014 and never saw the case’s resolution. In the end, the court ruled in Moore and the Zarda family’s favor: They found that the unjust dismissal of Zarda violated the anti-discrimination employment laws. Justice Neil Gorsuch delivered the opinion of the court, saying, “An employer who fires an individual for being homosexual or transgender fires that person for traits or actions it would not have questioned in members of a different sex. Sex plays a necessary and un-disguisable role in the decision, exactly what Title VII forbids.”
Although the loss of his partner was devastating, Moore’s induction into the Department of Labor Hall of Fame is monumental. Along with the Zarda family, he continues to fight for LGBTQ+ rights and speak out against stigmas.
