Sexual Orientation And The Workplace

Since the beginning of their existence and in today’s society, the community of LGBT workers are not being treated fairly or getting their fair share that they deserve in the workplace. They are victims to high rates of workplace discrimination. Instead of being judged as workers and what they bring to their jobs and how they work, they are being judged by their sexual preferences and appearance. Being a gay or transgender worker causes them to be mistreated, not judged for the actual workers they are, and most importantly, halts a majority of them in better career and job opportunities. Although under federal law it is illegal to fire someone who is either gay or transgender, they are still either being denied employment or being terminated from their jobs because of their gender category or sexual orientation.

One of the major issues presented to scholars in trying to develop an understanding of how to examine the LGBT in diversity policies, initiatives and management is the physical differences that are not apparent compared to other groups, particularly for those who identify as gay, lesbian or bi-sexual. Traditionally, diversity management scholars have focused more on visible characteristics of diversity such as age, gender, and ethnicity (Ozeren, 2014, p. 1203).

Oppression of minorities has had a detrimental aspect in the associated individual’s lives. History has demonstrated that as a western society, we devalue minorities’ rights and values through legislation and societal views. Today, this remains to be an issue for many individuals of many stigmatized groups. Although efforts to reach a more unified community have been taken, many minorities still fight oppression. Through activism, social and political movements, the LGBTQIA community have progressed immensely throughout the past few decades. History has demonstrated a slow, yet vast amount of success in this marginalized group. Activists endured a long journey toward gaining rights for the community which lead to a modern day civil rights movement for the LGBTQIA community. Although there has been a great amount of successes, non-heterosexual individuals still do not have full equal rights as their heterosexual counterparts. There are still adversities that are being faced in this population that hinder these individuals from thriving. The issue is even greater when the individual has an additional identity that is also marginalized. Specifically, individuals who identify as people of color (POC) and LGBTQIA still encounter prejudice from society.

Sexual orientation is “the clear, persistent desire of a person for affiliation with one sex rather than the other”, otherwise known as sexual preference. (http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com) Prejudice against lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transsexuals (otherwise known as LGBT people) remain widespread in American society. LGBT people have always been a target for discrimination. Like other forms of prejudice, this discrimination is based on a hostile attitude toward a specific group and in this case minority. The current strides in the controversy of the legalization of the same sex marriage is a prime example of this discrimination. Sexual orientation prejudice

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits job discrimination based on race, color, gender, religion and nation of origin. With the recent acceptance of marriage equality, it may leave the population doubting if they can be open and honest about their life. While, Title VII now encompasses the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) population, individuals may continue to fear their protection within the employment process. This is due to the ongoing debate within each state to implement anti-discrimination laws protecting LGBT workers. This may encourage people to purse a career based on fear of discrimination rather than compatibility.

The LGBTQ community has struggled for decades to receive equal treatment but despite many advancements, this group of people is still not treated justly. The prevalent discrimination and prejudice enacted against the LGBTQ community can be witnessed on accounts of the Stonewall Riots and laws that affect the community such as not allowing gay men to donate blood, sexual orientation in connection to the military, et cetera. The gay rights movement has united to eradicate these issues through support of the LBGTQ community and to help people understand the process, timing, advantages, dangers, and pitfalls of coming out, as well as recent local and international rulings of the Supreme Court on same-sex marriage and the methods, laws, and attitudes of having children.

According to the Center for American Progress, “studies show that anywhere from 15% to 43% of gay people have experienced some form of discrimination and harassment at the workplace. Moreover, a staggering 90 percent of transgender workers report some form of harassment or mistreatment on the job.” (Burns & Krehely, 2011) This doesn’t just affect the individual, it affects the worker’s productivity and confidence on the job, in some cases it may affect the pay which ultimately throws off the individual’s income for stability within their responsibilities, this can affect the business in a negative way. The list can go on and on of the consequences brought on by employment discrimination. According to USA Today’s Jennifer Calfas, “it is legal to fire someone based on his or her sexual orientation or gender identity. While there is some federal recourse through civil rights and equal employment claims, there's no national anti-discrimination law to protect LGBT workers from state whims. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits job discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion and nation of origin, but does not extend those protections to LGBT people.” (Calfas, 2015) Luckily, USA Today’s Jennifer Calfas also states that “Twenty-two states and the District of Columbia have laws prohibiting employers from firing employees due to just their sexual orientation or gender

“Discrimination and inequality faced by gays and lesbians in the United States are widespread, and the social movement to end such with the principles of equality and fairness.”( Blackwell, C. W., Ricks, J. L., & Dziegielewski, S. F. (2004). I do feel that we as society has come a long way since the Stonewall Riots of 1969 when it comes to obtaining equal rights for the GLBTQ community. However, there are still segments of today's population that hold personal prejudices against gays and lesbians. With these prejudices, it’s important to understand that there is a direct correlation between discriminatory practices within the state and federal systems and public policy drafting. As I have mentioned, we have come a long way in regards to changing policy and practices with our Country. However, there is still much work to be done regarding issues that affect the gay and lesbian population when it comes addressing lifestyles and equal rights. Here are just some examples of rights that many take for granted. However they are not always afforded to the gay and lesbian population and their

Whether you're a student, athlete, lawyer, celebrity, or even the President of the United States – no one is exempt from discrimination. African Americans were rated second class citizens because of their skin color, just as women weren't allowed to vote or get a job because they were supposed to cook and do housework. The LGBT population faces discrimination that isn’t based on appearance, but by sexual orientation. Unconstitutional acts like the Defense of Marriage Act (1996) and Don't ask Don't Tell Policy (1993-2011) specifically target the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community, forcing them to either lie about their sexuality or face harassment and prejudice. However, over the course of nearly 100

Living in the 21t century, diversity is seen all aspects of life, majorly in the workplace. A rising issue in America has been making headlines; discrimination in the workplace due to sexual orientation. Sexual orientation refers to “a person’s sexual identity in relation to the gender to which they are attracted” (Google). There has been a disturbing and substantial growing rate in the discrimination and harassment of gay and transgender individuals in the workplace as well as throughout the hiring process with limited attention being brought upon the issue. Individuals are being denied the same benefits, opportunities, and job titles due to their sexual orientation.

First and foremost, the American dream of earning an income through hard work has repeatedly proven itself to be a challenging task for those in the LGBT community. This is due to the lack of acceptance shown to LGBT members struggling to attain a fair paying while openly expressing their sexual orientations, which conservative individuals continue to view as unorthodox. One example of is seen in the case of Brooke Waits. Waits, along with thousands others, was wrongfully denied the right to work towards achieving the American Dream by being employed due to bias workplace discrimination. Waits recounts the day her American right of opportunity was wrongfully denied simply because of her sexual orientation, “ when my boss discovered I am a lesbian... In a single afternoon, I went from being a highly praised employee, to out of a job” ( Burns). Sadly, the story of Brooke Waits is not an unusual a story, it is a real life experience that prevented one individual from completing the American Dream,

In Journal of Human Rights published in 2014, after the Equalities Act of 2010 enacted, the United Kingdom sees sexuality and gender identities as “protected characteristics,” with legal imperatives to address discrimination, and in Canada in the early 1990s, there were an opposition against gays and lesbian rights, but after sexual orientation recognized in 1995, gradually by 2013, gays and lesbians have equality rights. (Browne, 2014)

With the 2015 Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage in the United States, many other issues involving sexual and gender diversity have emerged and are now in the forefront of human resource issues. Among them are transgender employees and their rights within the workplace.

LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) people are discriminated against, terrorized, and protested against. They have barely any laws guarding their rights. All Americans are supposed to have all the rights needed for their pursuit of happiness, yet LGBTQ+ citizens do not. This needs to stop. And the U.S., while still quite far away, is slowly on its way to equity for all of its citizens. But good LGBT Americans are mostly treated unfairly.

Looking back throughout history at the rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender individuals, it isn’t hard to see that we have made the majority of our strides in the past 10 years. As a society we have decided the time is now to put an end to the lack of rights for people of different sexual orientations. Accepting LGBT individuals and providing them the same rights and protections as all other Americans makes us a more united, respectable Country. Everyone deserves equal treatment and opportunities regardless of what their sexual orientation may be.