As we wrote about last week, the New York City Council passed legislation seeking to bolster the New York City Human Rights Law (NYCHRL). Although the NYCHRL was already one of the most employee friendly statutes in the nation to begin with, especially in light of the 2005 Local Civil Rights Restoration Act, the
Despite North Carolina And Georgia, Gender Identity And Sexual Orientation May Be Protected Under Federal Law
As my colleague Christina Stoneburner posted yesterday and today, North Carolina recently enacted the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act, which, among other similar state laws that continue cropping up (such as the recently vetoed religious exemption bill in Georgia), curtails protections based on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and/or Transgender (LGBT) status. These proposed
Update: North Carolina Attorney General Refuses to Defend Bathroom Law Against Legal Challenge
Things seem to be developing rapidly in North Carolina. Just yesterday morning we reported that the ACLU had filed a challenge to the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act that was passed last week and signed by Governor McCrory. The response from the North Carolina’s Attorney General’s Office was immediate and decisive: the AG would
ACLU Seeks to Flush North Carolina’s Public Facilities Law
Just days after North Carolina lawmakers passed the controversial Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act (“Act”), the American Civil Liberties Union (“ACLU”) has filed a lawsuit challenging the law.
Although the title of the Act seems to imply that it just addresses the use of public restrooms, the law actually goes far beyond that. Opponents
Want to Have a Successful Diversity Program? — Make Sure Everyone is on Board
I recently read an article that Wawa, Inc. has been sued by a former employee who alleges that she was discriminated against on account of being gay. What was interesting about the article was what she alleged about how the harassment supposedly started.
The employee alleges that she participated in Wawa’s Gay Straight Alliance. She
Your Employees’ Religious Beliefs Are Not an Excuse for Discrimination
There has been some immediate fallout from the Supreme Court’s gay marriage decision in Obergefell v. Hodges. The decision has become a lightning rod for several Republican candidates who have denounced the decision on religious grounds. Some, such as Ben Carson, have suggested that Congress pass a law protecting people’s religious views. Of
Same Sex-Marriage: The End of the Road
Earlier today, the United States Supreme Court in its decision in Obergefell v. Hodges rendered same-sex marriage as the law of the land in all 50 states. This blog is not about the wisdom or reasoning of the decision (for analysis on that you can check out, well, basically anywhere else on the web). But
The Supreme Court Argument Date for Gay Marriage Cases is Around the Corner
For those people who may have been living under a rock or enjoying an extended Tom Hanks-like vacation on a desert island a la Cast Away, the Supreme Court is set to hear argument in four petitions that challenge state laws in the 6th Circuit banning gay marriage. It is widely anticipated that the
Church Music Director Alleges Firing Because Of Engagement To Male Partner: Does The “Ministerial Exception” Apply?
A newly filed EEOC charge alleges that The Holy Family Catholic Community in Inverness, Ill fired its 17-year music director when the director announced on Facebook that he had just become an engaged to his male partner. This, according to the Portland Press Herald.
See: http://www.pressherald.com/2014/12/06/music-director-fired-by-church-files-claim-for-discrimination/
The director, who alleges sex, sexual orientation
Same-Sex Sexual Harassment Leads To $290,000 Settlement With The EEOC
Although sexual orientation discrimination is not prohibited under Title VII, same-sex sexual harassment is — as a species of gender-based sexual harassment. The distinction is important. (While Title VII affords no protection against discrimination based upon sexual orientation, an increasing number of states and municipalities have passed such laws, such as NYS and NYC. See