It's still true, and it's still appalling: in 29 states, it's legal to fire someone because the person, an American citizen, happens to be lesbian, gay, or bisexual; in 38 states, it's legal to fire someone for being transgender.
But most people-–even many LGBT people--aren't aware of this outrageous injustice.
Gays are fighting for the passage of the for fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) in Congress. Republicans have long fought the passage of this bill. And with the Senate holding hearings on the bill just yesterday, and the first important House vote coming in the weeks ahead – now is the time to make sure citizens informed and activated.
Countless numbers have been fired. Even the most prejudiced, most bigoted American surely agrees that these people should be allowed to hold a job.
Contact your Washington representatives now.
Few know the extent of how difficult it is to be different in American society.
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Comments: 73
Guess what, mickey, transgender identification is protected in many states and localities, and business owners don't suffer except in their tiny imploding craniums.
Here in New York, there used to be a popular nightspot featuring cross-dressing wait staff on roller skates who sang light opera. It was a hoot.
Of course, sexually-confused dogmatists would have been terribly uncomfortableabout this, so I guess you never went there.
If they can advertise their heterosexuality, why can't I display evidence of my sexuality too?
{;~')
Then too there are the rights of an employer to consider. If a person owns a business he or she has a right to choose whatever employees hired.
Employers want two things above anything else. Help that wants to work, not just draw a paycheck, and help that knows what to do or can be trained.
http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/index.cfm
What you do in the bed room is between partners, it has nothing to do with work unless they are having sex at work, or idsturbing customers.
Like Clinton, he was allowed to get a blow job during his break, it didn't affect how he ran the country!
sexual discrimination is illegal in most states, hate crimes ARE illegal.
When I ran a Radio Shack store I hired a good number of people and my only interest was, could they be trained and would they work. I could not care less what they thought about sex or what color ther skin happened to be or even what sex they were.
I've never met a business man who did it any different. I have met some who were forced to hire incopetent idiots just because of one or more of those three things. All that does is make the overhead higher and that raises prices. I knew one who hired a guy, paid him weekly and put him on perminent vacation to get him out of the way of those who worked.
When you start to descriminate it works both directions.
Georgina I never in my life found sexual orientation or sex for that matter to have anything at all to do with work ethics. Ethics are personal to every individual.
You can sugar coat things all you like now. Work ethic doesnt change regardless of a persons race, sexual pref. or anything else. Those that want top work will work regardless.
"Work ethic doesnt change regardless of a persons race, sexual pref. or anything else. Those that want top work will work regardless."
" I never in my life found sexual orientation or sex for that matter to have anything at all to do with work ethics. Ethics are personal to every individual."
However many of them are forced to hire incompetent fools to keep the EEOC off their backs. Is that fair to the employer?
How are they incompetent? I live in the south where you see people much like yourself everyday refusing to hire someone because of any of the above i listed. Maybe once your generation is gone we can once again make this nation great and united instead of divided. Until then sadly Americans have to live with discrimination because someone cant see beyond the color of skin...Handicaps..sexuality.. or gender.
Civil rights are for everyone. Not just the chosen few.
Prejudice and discrimination is a two way street. There are those who take advantage of it and I don't mean just one or two I mean a lot of them.
I ask again, Does a person lose his rights if he goes into business? Does a person in business have a right to hire competent help?
If I wanted to say because of being black, white, green, or purple I would have said it. If you don't understand a word look it up in a dictionary before you assume something that is not said.
"Who's business is it? If the owner want to run his business that way it is his right to do so. "
Are you saying it is or it isnt alright for a business owner to discriminate based on race, gender, handicap, or sexuality. Lets make it simple even for you george. Just say I agree or I dont agree. No need to talk around the question. Just a simple straight forward answer without the BS surrounding it. Think you can do that?
Heres the definition
civil rights pl.n. The rights belonging to an individual by virtue of citizenship, especially the fundamental freedoms and privileges guaranteed by the 13th and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution and by subsequent acts of Congress, including civil liberties, due process, equal protection of the laws, and freedom from discrimination.
adj. or civ·il-rights (sÄv'É™l-rÄ«ts')
1. Of or relating to such rights or privileges: civil rights legislation.
2. Of or relating to a political movement, especially during the 1950s and 1960s, devoted to securing equal opportunity and treatment for members of minority groups.
Yes we all are supposed to have civil rights
Now your other question. That was asked and answered. How many way can I say it is Wrong but the business man has the Right to do as he wishes since it is HIS business. A good business will hire from the community so the hiring practices will reflect who lives in that community.
As a businessman he has the right to hire and fire based on that particular employees actions or skill levels. Nothing else. He has the right however to take his business to another country where laws are more relaxed. Sorry but there are no ifs ands or buts unless the businessman is acting illegally to the laws of the United States.
As for what you know and dont know, I wont speculate because neither of us knows the amount of education or time spent in independent study by the other. I only base my comments on the discussion at hand, so any other speculation is pointless.
A business owner must follow the law or risk getting hit in the pocket book, not to mention having their business show up on page one of the paper if that happens (being in the media because of discrimination) they are toast more times than not. Using the Constitution as an argument against EEOC has been stuck down by courts all across the country and EEOC is the law of the land when it comes to hiring, firing and promoting of employees in America and is something best left to a coffee house debate because it's not reality. The EEOC has won at least 43 settlements against employers in Oct 2009
Another thing that is common, EEOC does NOT care if a person can do a job or is trained in a field. They are only interested in body count.
Brian, You are talking about Corporations, large business with many many employees. A small business has a whole different set of problems. My experience with EEOC is in the construction industry and small companies of fewer than 10 or 15 people. When I ran a Radio Shack I hired all kinds of people and never once discriminated against anyone who was willing to work and had some indication they could learn. In retail it pays off.
Another thing that is common, EEOC does NOT care if a person can do a job or is trained in a field. They are only interested in body count. Here your are wrong again because BFOQ (Bona Fide Occupational Qualification) means exactly that basing hiring on bona fide requirements in regards to race the guideline is as follows
RACE: The law specifically states that it is unlawful to discriminate on the basis of religion, gender, or national origin, except where any of these factors is "a bona fide occupational qualification reasonably necessary to the normal operation of that particular business or enterprise." However, the law says that race can NEVER be a bona fide occupational qualification.
When it comes to small business and EEOC I think your example proves that when it comes to EEOC that ignorance is not bliss.
Research demonstrated that the proponnents of "Business Owner Rights" NEVER hired persons of color - and many were involved in the White Citizen's Councils that provided the early political support to such champions of Civil Rights as Trent Lott and Senator Sessions.
Regardless of laws to the contrary Brian I Know what EEOC does and it's cheaper to hire an unqualified person than it is to fight it. Once in a blue moon you actually get a person that can be trained and turn into good employee. Most times they last untill the first pay day and are never seen again.
What kind of person messes with a man/woman's livelihood? That has always been sacrosanct - but not if you're sanctimonious, I guess. We want all gays on welfare? Or just prefer that they starve in the streets.
It gets worse:
I went to church for the first time in years awhile ago and sure enough, some lay pastor got up and ranted about gays getting health benefits. These people actually want human beings to lie sick and be denied healing. WWJD, indeed?
Margaret Mead's daughter is a seasoned anthropologist in her own right today. I heard her speak this past spring. She was asked a question about prejudice and misunderstanding.
One of her statements that struck me was, "People outgrow stereotypes out of encounters with people who don't fit the stereotypes." ~ Mary Catherine Bateson
I thought that it was a brilliant answer.
P.S. I've been fired from a job for no other reason than the manager did not want to have a gay man around. It happens.
The emphasis on "Coming Out" is not only good for the mental health of individual members of sexual minorities, but people who know someone who is lesbian or gay are much more likely to support full civil rights LGBT folks.
In 1970, there were many gay men who used to "play around" in public washrooms and forest preserves throughout the country. These were basically good men with sound work histories and a generous spirit. But, our culture did not accept their private (and necessarily hidden) sexual desires and emotions. So, they went underground. There were private clubs where we had to be sponsored to gain admission. There were many secret societies. Many men were left out of these experiences. The public bathrooms (often referred to as tea rooms) were often the only place for gay men to express their sexual and emotional desires. (Imagine if heterosexuals had to go through that kind of a secret life.) It created a self-fulfilling prophecy of shame and disrespect for the self. After the Stonewall incident in New York City (1969), gays and lesbians began coming out and holding annual gay pride parades. We organized and planned strategies for building healthy and decent lives for ourselves. I often think that if I was born ten years earlier that I might have learned to settle for bathroom sex as a substitute for healthy relationships that included the full expression of my sexuality. We've come a long way. It isn't that there is more prevalence of gays and lesbians. It is that gays and lesbians are expecting the full promise of the US Constitution that speaks to all persons: not just heterosexuals. On to the future!!!!
Then too there are the rights of an employer to consider. If a person owns a business he or she has a right to choose whatever employees hired. "
I heard those very words decades ago in consideration of rights for blacks. They were sleazy then and no less sleazy now. Most business owners always di hire who they wanted but we rarely found fairnesss when someone took a peak at them. I recall so vividly that era when all of a sudden qualifications came into play. Blacks had cooked and run the kitchen for decades but not served the food. We watched a whole era of eateries suddenly discover they had hired unqualified people until no one showed to eat then their employees became qualified. We watched car dealerships who had nothing but qualified salespeople but not one black though some blacks did run the service bays. When they couldn't find qualified black sales people they discovered they had trouble selling cars. Wow, suddenly they found qualified blacks and they sold tons of cars.
"If a person owns a business he or she has a right to choose whatever employees hired. "
So, you see I don't put much stock in what rights the business owner has.
AZ is a right to work state and anyone can be fired or laid off for no reason. But it is against AZ law for the employer to state why the person was fired in a reference. It could affect whether or not the person qualifies for the pittance they would get in unemployment, however.
*Not legal to fire transgenders
California*
Colorado*
Connecticut
Hawaii
Illinois*
Iowa*
Ohio*
Maine*
Maryland
Massachusetts
Minnesota*
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey*
New Mexico*
New York
Rhode Island*
Vermont*
Washington*
Wisconsin
District of Columbia*
Not one southern state!
Republicans came to power across the south in response to the Civil Rights Act in the LBJ years.
......other than because of race, gender, age, religion, etc....of course...........
Did not surprise me Idaho is NOT on this list. Klan country, you know.
The company for which I work has a policy of non-discrimination which includes policy barring discrimination because of sexuality. The corporate attitude is our sexuality is irrelevant to our job, and it's not their business. They want the best and the brightest, and the want the largest employee pool possible from which to draw so that they will have the best chance of tapping individuals whose work will give the company the greatest benefit. Eliminating an entire class of people based on something not work-related doesn't make sense at all when viewed in that context.