The Second Circuit, sitting as a full court, is poised to take up the dispute next week. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, in Chicago, ruled in April that sexual orientation discrimination violates the Civil Rights Act. That ruling was hailed a landmark decision by gay rights advocates. A three-judge panel in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit concluded that the Civil Rights Act does not include protections for gay or bisexual employees.