Tag: sexual orientation

Obama order bars contractors from LGBT employment discrimination

On July 21, President Barack Obama signed an Executive Order prohibiting federal contractors from employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Federal Employment Law Insider editor David S. Fortney, Elizabeth B. Bradley, and Emily Bristol, attorneys with Fortney & Scott, LLC in Washington, D.C., issued a statement after Obama signed the order. They […]

TN Governor Signs Bill on State and Local Antidiscrimination Standards

Late Monday, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam signed into law House Bill (HB) 600, which prohibits Tennessee’s local governments from imposing on employers any antidiscrimination practices or standards that vary from those in state law. Named the Equal Access to Interstate Commerce Act, the new law makes null and void any “practice, standard, definition, or provision” […]

Memorandum Extends Benefits to Same-Sex Partners of Executive Branch Employees

On Wednesday, President Barack Obama signed a federal memorandum requiring executive agencies to extend to same-sex partners the employment benefits equivalent to those granted to opposite-sex partners. The memorandum expands benefits previously provided to same-sex partners in an executive memorandum signed last October and is the latest in a handful of government moves to preserve […]

Heterosexual PR Contractor May Have Suffered Antigay Discrimination

By Terence H. McGuire Recently, a federal district court in New York ruled that a worker retained to perform public relations and other promotional services for a clothing manufacturer could proceed to trial on claims under the New York City Human Rights Law (NYCHRL) and the New York State Human Rights Law (NYSHRL) that he […]

Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity Protection Considered

By Stephen J. Stine The categories of persons entitled to legal protection under federal antidiscrimination law have remained the same for almost 20 years. The last major expansion of federal antidiscrimination protection occurred in 1990, when Congress enacted the Americans with Disabilities Act to protect individuals with an actual or perceived disability or a history […]

Ohio Bill Would Expand List of Protected Classes

On Tuesday, September 15, 2009,  the Ohio House of Representatives passed a bill to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of protected classes under Chapter 4112, Ohio’s antidiscrimination statute, and R.C. 4111.17, which prohibits wage discrimination. The bill, H.B. 176, was introduced into the Ohio House in May and originally added “gender […]

Top Employment Issues for States in 2009: Part 2 – FMLA, Discrimination, Minimum Wage, Safety

Last week, we discussed four employment law issues state legislatures will be grappling with in 2009 — layoff notification laws, immigration, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and it’s state equivalents, and unemployment benefits. This week, we’ll discuss four more – family and medical leave, workplace discrimination, minimum wage, and occupational safety. As with last […]

“Day Without a Gay” Nationwide Protest May Result in Work Shortage

Some gay rights advocates are calling for “A Day Without a Gay” protest and boycott across the United States on Wednesday, December 10, to show opposition to California’s Proposition 8 and to show the power of the gay and lesbian community. Organizers are encouraging people to strike by “calling in gay” to work, taking the […]

Recruiting GLBT employees makes sense

Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) professionals are being increasingly targeted by corporate America — as both employees and customers. According to new research, the industry doing the best job of it is the financial services sector. In the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) most recent annual Corporate Equality Index, 32 employers in the financial services […]

The Ins and Outs of the Interview

by Amy M. McLaughlin The Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently determined that a job applicant presented enough disputed information for his age discrimination case to be submitted to a jury, rather than dismissed. The applicant claimed that the individuals who interviewed him had an age bias against him and preferred the younger applicants. […]