By Erik Larson and Jeff Green | Bloomberg

The U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision holding that employers can’t discriminate against workers based on their sexual orientation or gender identity has a glaring loophole: It doesn’t apply to small businesses that employ as many as one in six Americans.

A 1960s-era ban on sex discrimination in the workplace was extended to millions of LGBT workers with the court’s 6-3 decision on Monday -- the most significant LGBT ruling since same-sex marriage was legalized in 2015. But the law doesn’t cover companies with fewer than 15 employees.

Just how many fall into that category is unclear. While there’s no data on how many people work for companies with 15 or fewer workers, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates about 17% of the workforce is employed by companies with 19 or fewer employees.

Moe Vela, who served as a senior advisor on LGBT affairs to former Vice President Joe Biden, said Monday’s ruling highlights a loophole for which there has never been a good rationale. He said Congress should ditch its usual exemptions for small businesses and fix the discrimination-protection gap. Read more via Washington Post