For many people, one of the best things about getting up and going to work every day is that they genuinely enjoy what they are doing. When first applying for a job, people may assume that they will be working in a place where their superiors and equals respect them, but this is not always how it goes for employees. Unfortunately, people who have been discriminated against by their employer don’t get to experience the joy of going to work because of the hostile environment they have been forced to work in.
The Equal Opportunity of Employment Offices in both Philadelphia and Baltimore have filed lawsuits against local companies for violating federal employment laws when they discriminated against employees who are members of the LGBTQ community. It was reported that one company allegedly subjected a male, gay employee to harassment while another company allegedly did the same to a female, lesbian employee. This treatment was considered to be discrimination because both employees’ sexual orientations were the cause of the harassment they experienced from superiors and coworkers.
These two lawsuits are said to be the first of their kind because it has not often been recognized that when a person is discriminated against in the workplace because of his or her sexual orientation that it is, in fact, violating the Civil Rights Act of 1964. However, in 2015, the EEOC ruled that discrimination based on a person’s sexual orientation is a violation of the law because it is basically discriminating against a person based on their sex. This means that there is a good chance that the employers could be found guilty. Both companies have yet to respond to the lawsuits.
It is sad to say, but employment discrimination happens often in the United States. It is not right for people to have to deal with this type of treatment, which is why they should report it as soon as it happens. Anyone who has experienced discrimination from their employer should not hesitate to speak with an attorney and move forward with filing a claim.
Source: RH Reality Check, “Federal Government Takes Hard Line in LGBTQ Employment Discrimination,” Jessica Mason Pieklo, March 7, 2016
