Essay on Sexual Orientation Discrimination Prejudice in the Workplace

You would think that today’s society would not discriminate against someone based on their race, color, or national origin. With the changes in lifestyle, people continue to discriminate against those, but also someone’s sexual orientation. Even with laws and regulations, it continues in all parts of the country. The Civil Rights Act of 1964, more specifically Title VI, stated that you could not discriminate against anyone in programs and activities receiving federal

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.

It is not up for debate whether women are discriminated against in the workplace, it is evident in census data; in 2013, among full-time, year-round workers, women were paid 78 percent of what men were paid. It is said that the organizations that are pro-equal pay, including some unions, support the idea that the government should set wages for all jobs. To the contrary, the organizations that are proponents of equal pay are not for job wages being set by the government-they wish to have the discrimination taken out of pay scales from within the company. Commonly, this pay gap is attributed to the fact that women in the United States are still expected to attend to familial obligations over work.

Although, an employee’s sexual orientation/identity isn’t a visible characteristic, it should be considered an important of diversity management. Bower and Blackmon (2003) states that managing diversity, particularly when it comes to sexual orientation diversity, may be just as significant as managing visible diversity (as cited in Ozeren, 2014, p. 1203). Research of those who identify as LGB (not T), indicates that they’re a sizeable population. Gates (2015) states that “it is generally thought that between 8.2 to 8.7 million United States citizens identity as LGB citizens (transgender number are less well-known), or between 3.5 to 3.7 percent of the population” (as cited in Shrader, 2016, p. 181). For my term paper, I will explore the following questions: How is the U.S. currently responding to complaints filled by LGBT employees? What is the government doing to improve policies, laws, initiatives or statutes to protect this population? I will answer these question by performing

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.

Sexual orientation is defined as the direction of an individual's sexuality, often in relation to their own sex or gender. There are three basic categories of sexual orientation; bisexual (bi), heterosexual (straight), and homosexual (gay/lesbian). Public perception and knowledge regarding differences in sexual orientation are far behind perhaps every other demographic. The fight for gay and lesbian rights against discrimination is a relatively new fight. The term hate crime has arisen in lea of anger and discrimination against the gay and lesbian population. Wikipedia.com defines hate crimes as violent crimes, hate speech, or vandalism, motivated by feelings of enmity an identifiable

Furthermore, the discrimination of LGBTQ people is caused by people, afraid of others that are different and people who are too blind to see the consequences of their actions. Most people are afraid of the unfamiliar and it is normal for humans to be cautious, however it is not acceptable to put someone down and abuse that person, those actions make people inhumane. Sometimes people do not accept the LGBTQ community because of their religion such as said in the article, “Homosexuality and Religious Institutions”, published by PR Newswire. For example, in the article it states, “The Methodist Church stated clearly its position in the 1990s against ordination and marriage of

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

LGBT people continue to face real discrimination and there is no federal law preventing them fro being fired or denied work based on their sexual orientation. The military is notorious for their public discrimination of gays and lesbians They can lose their children for being gay or lesbian, and are even denied the right to marry in some states. In 1992 Colorado executed Amendment 2, which opposed the current state laws and blocked future laws protecting lesbians, gay men and bisexuals from discrimination. The U. S. Supreme Court case 1996 Romer v. Evans decision. We must conclude that Amendment 2 classifies homosexuals not to further a proper legislative end but to make them unequal to everyone else. Which Colorado could not do. A state cannot deem a class of persons a stranger to its laws. (Justice Anthony Kennedy, Majority Opinion in Romer v, Evans I)

Representative Jared Polis “In 31 states, it is still legal to fire an employee because they’re gay or transgender.” It’s shocking to know a nation considered one of the leading nations in the world has not granted its basic human rights to the people residing on their land––people who have devoted their lives to thrive in this country. Through research, there was one study I found that stood out to me titled “INJUSTICE AT EVERY TURN:

According to an article published by Workplace Fairness, a non-profit organization that provides information and education on employee rights, sexual orientation discrimination means treating someone differently solely because of his or her sexual orientation whether it be homosexual, bisexual, or heterosexual. This discrimination may occur because of a perception of someone whether the perception is right or wrong. Someone who is discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation may also be discriminated against or harassed on the basis of sex, gender identity, disability, such as actual or perceived HIV status, and/or marital status.

In our society sexual harassment has been in the workplace for years. The use of sexual harassment in the workplace has been remembered best as a weapon used to keep women in their place which would cause them to forfeit promotions within their organizations. It was once believed that women were the only victims but the shift is now changing men are also reporting that they are also victims of sexual harassment on the job. In 1964 the Civil Rights Act was passed and employers began to recognize that they were liable for two types of sexual harassment. The first kind of harassment is Quid pro quo when a supervisor offers the employee sexual advances in order to get or keep a job, and also this harassment is used to determined if an

Discrimination in the workplace occurs when an employee experiences harsh or unfair treatment due to their race, religion, national origin, disabled or veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. Discrimination is one of the biggest problems people face in the workplace and it must be dealt with forcefully.

There are differences between what is considered to be prejudice and what discrimination is. Prejudice is identified as a typically negative attitude that is directed towards an individual 's social status, or group. Discrimination is reported as completing a negative act, or acts, towards a group, or individuals in a group, on the bias of the same reason or reasons. Given what is known, or inferred, about prejudice and discrimination, it can be related back to how LGBT associates are effected within athletic fields. Understanding the terminology, methods of research, development, and corrective/preventive procedures are well discussed in the field of Social Psychology.

The criminal just system should view all people no matter what their race, gender, or social class is. In a world where Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender people are being slandered, it is hard for them to get jobs because of their sexual preferences or how they identify. Gays and lesbians who choose to come out around “straight” people they work with will probably face at least some (if not much) discrimination. During work, “discrimination based on sexual orientation must not be tolerated in any form in modern law enforcement. Instead of prejudice and intolerance, police departments and chief executives should embrace a “Do Ask, Do Tell” attitude toward gays and lesbians (Winchell, 2008)”. They will go out of their way to cause harm either (physically/ mentally), professional humiliation, and the refusal of some heterosexual officers to work in close proximity with the LGBT officers. Instead of discriminating on others, officers should begin to judge based on the quality of their work and strength of character.