California Employment Lawyer Blog
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on world leaders for the first time not to discriminate against gays and lesbians, announcing that the United States would dedicate $3 million to fighting for gay rights worldwide, the Los Angeles Times has reported.
And while this is a noble cause, there is plenty of discrimination in workplaces right here in Orange County. Sexual orientation discrimination in Fullerton can be a major issue. Employers must be forced to comply with state and federal laws requiring them to hire and fire based on ability, not meaningless attributes.
Unfortunately, our Irvine employment discrimination attorneys have seen many examples of businesses doing exactly that. Rather than selecting the most qualified candidate, employers choose a person based on his or her skin color or gender. In some cases, instead of promoting a promising worker, they stick to someone based on age or religious preference.
According to the Times story, Clinton gave a speech as part of Human Rights Day, saying that protecting the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people is one of the “human rights challenges of our time.” She likened the cause to battles dealing with racial equality, the rights of women and religious freedoms.
Clinton said that people in the rest of the world tend to see this issue as a “Western phenomenon” and something they don’t have to deal with. But she said gay people come from every society, throughout the world. She called on other governments to combat the criminalization of sexual orientation.
She also reported the creation of a global fund that the country has committed $3 million to in order to enforce rights worldwide. The Obama administration has promoted gay rights in recent years through the changing of military policies and gay marriage law changes.
And while there are have certainly been examples of violent injustices, discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people happens in corporate settings as well. Perhaps not violence, but bias against these people exists and must be stopped.
In some occasions, the discrimination is outward, where bosses or co-workers are allowed to call things “gay” or make remarks that are disparaging toward another person who they believe is gay or who outwardly states they are gay.
Other times, the discrimination is kept “in-house” when bosses make firing and hiring decisions or determine who can be promoted or not. Sometimes, these cases require a whistleblower, a person who reports the wrongdoing or other times a pattern of discrimination can be found.
In any of these scenarios, it is unlawful. There is a reason why laws were created to stop this type of behavior. No one wants to feel they don’t get a fair shot at a job or advancement in a field because of something they can’t control. Our Irvine discrimination defense lawyers challenge businesses that violate these laws and seek to treat people unfairly based on their sexual orientation.
If you feel your rights have been violated and are in need of an Orange County employment dispute attorney, call Trial Attorney Houman Fakhimi at 877-529-4545 to discuss your rights. We offer free consultations in all areas of discrimination and employment law.
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Additional Resources:
Hillary Clinton calls on world not to discriminate against gays, by Kim Geiger, Los Angeles Times