The New York Times has an editorial that looks at the sad state of employment law protections for LGBT citizens. Here in Virginia where LGBT employees have no non-discrimination protections whatsoever, some would argue that dogs and cats have more protections against mistreatment. The irony is that when all other flimsy excuses are stripped away, anti-gay discrimination is based solely upon religious based prejudice and bigotry, thus making a farce out of the freedom of religion that allegedly exists in the USA - it exist only so long as one is not gay, then all bets and protections are off and religious based bigotry is given free rein. Having just been in New York where state law protections exist, it is all the more depressing to be back in Virginia. Here are some editorial highlights:*
It is remarkable how little progress gay people have made in securing the basic protection against discrimination on the job. In 29 states, it is still legal to fire workers for being gay. But momentum is building in Congress for the first federal law banning such discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
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Federal law has lagged behind the reality of American life. There are now openly gay members of Congress from between-the-coasts states like Colorado and Wisconsin. And according to the Human Rights Campaign, a gay-rights advocacy group, 85 percent of Fortune 500 companies have policies protecting gay employees from discrimination.
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Federal law has lagged behind the reality of American life. There are now openly gay members of Congress from between-the-coasts states like Colorado and Wisconsin. And according to the Human Rights Campaign, a gay-rights advocacy group, 85 percent of Fortune 500 companies have policies protecting gay employees from discrimination.
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Bipartisan bills have been introduced in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, modeled on existing civil rights laws that cover race, religion and sex. Unlike some past bills, these include gender identity, protecting transgender people from discrimination. The bills were written to meet some of the concerns of opponents. The law would not apply to religious organizations, or to businesses with fewer than 15 employees. It would not allow for quotas or “disparate impact” lawsuits, which generally use statistical disparities to prove discrimination.
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People who believe in workplace fairness should lobby senators to get on board. It is unacceptable that in a nation committed to equality people can still be fired in more than half the states for being gay. Congressional leaders should make passing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act a top priority.
1 comment:
I must admit that I feel rather unsatisfied by the statement that "The law would not apply to religious organizations" - I think perhaps the law (and others along similar lines) should not apply to religious organisations per se, but *should* apply to the commercial arm/activities of religious organisations...
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