Continue The Fight For Protection For LGBT People In The Workplace

Now that same-sex marriage is legal in all fifty states, people may think that the fight for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equal rights is won because they got what they wanted.

But being fired for one’s sexual orientation or for their gender identity is still a possibility in many states. That’s why it is important that Congress pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).

The Human Rights Campaign explains that  ENDA would provide basic protections against workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. ENDA simply affords to all Americans basic employment protection from discrimination based on irrational prejudice. The bill is closely modeled on existing civil rights laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The bill explicitly prohibits preferential treatment and quotas and does not permit disparate impact suits.

Less than half of the states have enacted laws that bar employment discrimination. In 29 states LGBT people can be fired due to their sexual orientation or gender identity, according to a 2014 Huffington Post article by Kevin Short. Florida is one of those states that has not passed a state version of the ENDA.

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States like California, Nevada, and Washington have a statewide employment non-discrimination law that protects people’s sexual orientation and their gender identity.They set a fantastic example of professionalism in the workplace.

I brought this information to the hiring manager of Jackson Memorial Hospital and the co-owner/ hiring manager of the Cabo Flats restaurant in Delray Beach. Both were appalled and flabbergasted. This kind of discrimination was something they thought was illegal in the United States.

“Being gay isn’t something you can change,” said Silvina Mendoza, 20, a business administration major at North Campus. “It isn’t a disease where you can take medicine and be cured and go back to work.”

She felt that that this fight was similar to the fight for women’s rights. She called this a “disgusting” situation. Mendoza’s reaction and that of the other business leaders shows there is support in Florida.

Firing someone for being a LGBT member is simply ridiculous and makes me quite upset. It is completely unprofessional.

Someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity has nothing to do with their qualifications, their quality of work and their skills to work. The fact that people are being harassed at work, not getting the right promotion they deserve and just not being treated as an equal is sickening. Lacking this protection, LGBT people are still not being treated as equals, even though same-sex marriage is now legal.

Everyone should join the LGBT community and pressure Congress to legalize the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.