Final answer:
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 did not originally include sexual orientation as a protected category, focusing instead on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prevents discrimination on several grounds. According to Title VII of the Act, it is illegal to discriminate in employment practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. However, the Act did not initially include protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation. It wasn't until later, through interpretation and additional legislation, that employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation was addressed. As a result, when the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was originally passed, sexual orientation was not a protected category under this law.