Anti-discrimination law
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was the first major development in anti-discrimination law in the US, though prior civil rights legislation (such as the Civil Rights Act of 1957) addressed some forms of discrimination, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was much broader, providing protections for race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in the areas of voting, education, employment, and public accommodations. This landmark legislation led the way for other federal legislation, which expanded upon the protected classes and forms of discrimination prohibited under federal legislation, such as the Fair Housing Act or the Americans with Disabilities Act. These protections have also been expanded through the courts interpretation of these pieces of legislation. For example, the 7th and 2nd circuit courts have both ruled that employment discrimination based on sexual orientation is a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. In addition to federal legislation, there are numerous state and local laws that address discrimination that is not covered by these laws.
Diane R. Williams
Diane Williams began working at the U.S Department of Justice in 1972 as a 23-year-old single mother. She worked in the Justice Department’s Community Relations Service as a public information aide, where she was intimately familiar with the racial tensions of the time. Although she had previously been given several positive reviews of her work, she was dismissed from her position at the U.S Department of Justice after filing a complaint about a supervisor Harvey Brinson's unwanted sexual advances. She stated her supervisor’s treatment was illegal under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars employers from discriminating against workers on the basis of sex, race, religion, national origin, or color.