Three Supreme Court cases heard on Oct. 8, 2019 are referred to by some of the candidates below: Bostock v. Clayton County, GA; Altitude Express, Inc. v. Zarda; and RG & GR Harris Funeral Homes Inc. v. EEOC. The first two concern whether Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which provides federal protection against sex discrimination, applies to sexual orientation. In each case, a gay man alleges he was fired due to his sexual orientation.

The third case concerns questions related to whether Title VII's prohibition on sex discrimination includes protection for gender identity, including transgender status. In this case, a transgender woman was fired shortly after she told her employer she intended to transition.

On June 15, 2020, the Supreme Court ruled that federal law protects LGBTQ+ employees from discrimination.
 

Sources:
Oyez, "Altitude Express v. Zarda," oyez.org (accessed Oct. 15, 2019)
Oyez, "Bostock v. Clayton County," oyez.org (accessed Oct. 15, 2019)
Oyez, "R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission," oyez.org (accessed Oct. 15, 2019)
James A. Paretti, Jr, "Supreme Court to Decide Whether Title VII's Sex Discrimination Protections Cover Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity," littler.com, Apr. 22, 2019
Supreme Court of the United States, "October Term 2019," supremecourt.gov (accessed Oct. 15, 2019)