NYT editorial: The Rights of Gay Employees

[Heidi]

Published: September 12, 2009

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.

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.

But gay rights advocates have for years faced opposition to a federal civil rights law from the religious right, and from parts of the business community, who argue that it would lead to a flood of litigation.

<snip>

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.

Read more

[TexasObserver]

1. Recommend

[sakabatou]

2. And now putting it in Greatest

Jeez, the religious zealots. They'll discriminate against everyone, but should someone make a peep, they'll yell at you for discriminating them.

[Luminous Animal]

3. The boomers secured civil rights for the vast majority of the population.

It is time for the next generations to secure it for the rest.

[ikri]

4. Easy way to avoid litigation for worried businesses

Stop Discriminating against anyone you employ

[WVRICK13]

5. Sad Commentary on Freedom

It amazes me that companies would even care about a persons sexual orientation. Laws help but they can't solve the problem of discrimination or bigotry. Pass a law to make firing someone because of sexual orientation and the company will use another excuse. Only by changing attitudes can we end discrimination.

[Heidi]

6. Do you feel the same way about racial discrimination?

I agree that changing attitudes is important, but there should also be a penalty when it's proven that any employer has fired a person or denied him/her a job based on race, gender, sexual orientation or disability, etc.

[WVRICK13]

8. Absolutely

I feel the same way about all discrimination. We need the laws so we have statutory protection but until the attitudes are changed they can work around the laws.

[pinto]

7. Kick

:kick:

[Bluenorthwest]

9. 29 openly discriminating States

Where you can just say 'we don't hire your kind'. 29 States.

[ruggerson]

10. too bad not too many folks here

see this as a priority

[dsc]

11. In most of those 29 states it is, legally, as if nothing changed since Stonewall

think about that, in the 40 years since Stonewall we have seen the world totally change for gays in every single respect save legally.

[Berry Cool]

12. It's horrendous.

K&R

[dsc]

13. kick and r

[Nikki Stone1]

14. kick and r

:kick: