Discrimination on the Job Article
Historic Civil Rights Act offers new hope for fighting discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity
Historic Civil Rights Act offers new hope for fighting discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity
July 12 marks the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, one of the most important moments for civil rights in the history of the United States. Also known as Title VII, the act prohibits discrimination against individuals on the basis of race, color, religion, sex and national origin.
Are there civil rights protections for the LGBT community?
While Phoenix, Tempe and Tucson have passed protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, there is no Arizona or federal law providing such protection.
BUT
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would amend Title VII to include protections against discrimination based upon sexual orientation and gender identity, was first introduced to protect "affectional or sexual preference" in 1975. ENDA passed in the current session of the U.S. Senate, but is mired in the partisan politics of the House.
AND
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and a U.S. District Court have breathed new life into a 25-year-old U.S. Supreme Court case, relying upon it for the principle that Title VII in its current form already protects individuals against discrimination based upon sexual orientation and gender identity.
The EEOC recently announced that Title VII prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity on the basis that such discrimination is rooted in the sex stereotyping prohibited by the Price Waterhouse decision. The EEOC Strategic Enforcement Plan for 2013-2016 lists "coverage of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals under Title VII" as one of its top six national enforcement priorities.
Are members of the LGBT community being discriminated against?
In a study by the Williams Institute, 68 percent of gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals reported having experienced employment discrimination. Transgender individuals experience unemployment at twice the rate of the general population, and 50 percent report having been harassed at work.
What case law outlines the EEOC’s position?
In the 1999 case Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins, Ann Hopkins sued Price Waterhouse for discrimination based on sex, in violation of Title VII. Hopkins was a senior manager who was up for partner in the accounting firm. She was denied partnership on the basis that she was considered to be too "macho." The firm advised her that she could improve her chances for partnership if she were "to take a course at charm school, walk more femininely, talk more femininely, wear make-up, have her hair styled and wear jewelry."
The Supreme Court ruled that it did not "require expertise in psychology to know that, if an employee's flawed ‘interpersonal skills' can be corrected by a soft-hued suit or a new shade of lipstick, perhaps it is the employee's sex and not her interpersonal skills that has drawn the criticism."
The court continued that "we are beyond the day when an employer could evaluate employees by assuming or insisting that they matched the stereotype associated with their group, for ‘in forbidding employers to discriminate against individuals because of their sex,' Congress intended to strike at the entire spectrum of disparate treatment of men and women resulting from sex stereotypes."
A U.S. District Court recently agreed with this EEOC position in a case involving claims that a Library of Congress employee, Peter TerVeer, faced discrimination after his boss found out that he was gay. The Library of Congress filed a motion to dismiss TerVeer's claims, arguing that Title VII does not cover claims of discrimination based upon sexual orientation. The judge denied the motion, ruling that TerVeer stated a valid claim and if he could prove the facts alleged in his complaint, he could succeed in his lawsuit based on his Title VII claim. TerVeer's lawsuit claims that his boss created a "hostile environment in which he imposed his religion and sexual stereotypes" on TerVeer.
So what does this mean?
If you believe you are one of the 68 percent of gay, lesbian or bisexual Americans who have been discriminated against or harassed at work based upon your sexual orientation, or on the basis of your gender identity, you may have a claim under Title VII. Consult with a knowledgeable employment lawyer to see if you may have a claim, or visit the local office of the EEOC. If you own or operate a business, you should consult with your employment lawyer about updating policies and providing training to your management staff.
Contributing Attorney Writer: Jeff Brodin is the founder of Brodin HR Law.
Comments:
Comments:
QUESTIONS
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I was hired by Norton Lilly Inc. in June of 2015.I was let go in Aug of 2015.the company refused unemployment and after I present information to the unemployment office only then I was told by the unemployment office that "my employer could not substantiate my discharge" and that is when I began collecting. I was in this international trade for over 40 years and when they let me go I was not given a concrete explanation for my discharge only after two months. At time of discharge I was 65 and believe that my discharge was due to age discrimination. Not until my friend advised that i may ctc
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My finance is being threatened with termination of her job, harrassed ever since she had obtained a FMLA for her daughter's condition. There are things that have been said to to her in meetings with her boss and she needs to know if she can legally record those conversations without her boss knowing as proof of harrassment?
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Can a employer ask for my age and social security number on an online application before I have been offered job and hired?
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My daughter works in a fast food place in Mesa, AZ. She does not get lunch or other breaks, during her 8 hour shifts. What can be done about this?
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I know blacklisting is illegal but is very difficult to prove unless there is a written paper trail. I believe in my case there is no paper trail it is all word of mouth. Is there anything I can do?
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Can an organazation prefer one religion over another and request that employees sign a "statment of faith"?
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My father has cancer and I had submited an FMLA with my employer. They had approved the FMLA. I was required to submit my hours of FMLA used to HR. I have no problem submitting the hours of FMLA used but my problem is when other employees who are on FMLA is not submitting the hours weekly and was not being tracked like I am, shouldnt that fall under Discrimination under FMLA? I think that most of the HR personnel are only there to help the employer but not the employees.Dept labor should enforce that the HR employees should come from a 3rd party that will ensure everyone is treated fairly.
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If I think that you have a "disability," what "reasonable accommodation" does your company have to make?
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I have a right to sue letter from the EEOC I wanted more information and calrification on this letter and had a few other questions. I have a discrimination case with the EEOC and retaliation one as well
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I went to the EEOC to discuss my seperation with my employers. They agreed it was unfair but could not help me because we didn't have over 16 employees in the office.(only 9) They suggested I contact an attorney, however when contacting those on the list I was given they all wanted a consultation fee of 300. or more. Is there an attorney I would talk to just to see what my rights are at no charge. I am still un-employed after 6 months!
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