Discrimination Against Gays |
Although federal government workers are protected from discrimination because of their sexual orientation, there are no federal laws protecting workers in private companies.
The following states and the District of Columbia currently have laws prohibiting discrimination because of sexual orientation in the workplace: California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Maryland, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin.
Eight additional states have laws against sexual orientation discrimination in public employment: Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington.
Some counties and cities also have local laws that prevent private employers from discriminating against gay and lesbian workers.
It may also be that your employer has voluntarily committed to a written anti-discrimination policy, which can be located in an employee manual or other document.
Even if there are no laws protecting you from discrimination and your employer doesn't have a specific policy on the issue, you may still have a legal claim based on other types of laws, such as:
- Wrongful termination
- Defamation or slander
- Invasion of privacy
- Anti-harassment
For specific information regarding your local laws, you can contact your area's Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (located in the government pages of your phone book) or the American Civil Liberties Union.
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