July 21, 2014
Judge Tom
1

LGBT discrimination in the workplace

LGBT rights

On July 1, 2014, President Obama announced at a LGBT Pride Reception at the White House that he would be issuing an executive order banning federal contractors from discriminating against employees on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Such a law has been a long-time coming. Congress has failed to pass legislation in this regard although the Senate passed a bill in 2013. It has languished in he House of Representatives ever since. The executive order only applies to federal contractors.

LGBT rights

Photo by A Girl and Her Camera (Flickr)

States are split in protecting employees from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Some have specific laws banning such discrimination while others are silent on the subject.  Over thirty states lack explicit laws banning discrimination based on gender identity, while it’s legal under state law to fire or refuse employment to a person based on sexual orientation in twenty-nine states.

Update:  On July 21, 2014, the President signed an executive order banning workplace discrimination against LGBT federal employees and all contractors with the federal government.

Judge Tom

The Author Judge Tom

Judge Tom is the founder and moderator of AsktheJudge.info. He is a retired juvenile judge and spent 23 years on the bench. He has written several books for lawyers and judges as well as teens and parents including 'Teen Cyberbullying Investigated' (Free Spirit Publishing) and 'Every Vote Matters: the Power of Your Voice, from Student Elections to the Supreme Court' (Free Spirit Publishing). In 2020, the American Bar Association published "Cyberbullying Law," the nation's first case-law book written for lawyers, judges and law students. When he's not answering teens' questions, Judge Tom volunteers with the American Red Cross and can be found hiking, traveling and reading.

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