Which of the following is an example of a protected class under the Civil Rights Act of 1964?

A protected class under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 refers to groups of people who are protected from discrimination based on certain characteristics. These characteristics include race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

In this context, Latino employees speaking Spanish at work highlights national origin discrimination. If employees are treated unfairly because of their ethnicity or the language they speak, it could lead to claims of discrimination based on national origin.

Firing a woman for being pregnant directly relates to sex discrimination. Pregnancy is considered a medical condition connected to women's genders, and terminating an employee for being pregnant discriminates against her because of her sex, which is explicitly forbidden by the Act.

Firing a man for having a sex change connects to gender identity and is also seen as discrimination based on sex. Even though the Civil Rights Act did not explicitly address gender identity, recent rulings have expanded the interpretation of sex discrimination to include discrimination based on transgender status.

Thus, both instances—discriminating against Latino employees for their language and firing a woman due to her pregnancy—are violations of the Civil Rights Act. Selecting both A and B effectively recognizes the protections afforded to these groups under the law.