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365Gay.com
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Majority
Of Americans Support Passage
Of
Federal Gay Job Protections
From the
Web, September 11, 2007
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Washington -- Nearly
two-thirds of all American adults believe it is unfair that federal law
currently allows for an employer to fire someone because they are gay or lesbian
according to a new poll.
The survey also found that almost as many people were not even aware that
federal law does not provide protections for employees on the basis of sexual
orientation.
The poll was conducted online by Harris Interactive in conjunction with Witeck-Combs
for Out & Equal, a San Francisco-based national LGBT group that advocates for
equitable workplaces.
Seventy-nine percent of people who self identified as heterosexual said that
that how an employee does his or her job, and not their sexual orientation,
should be the standard for judging an employee.
When it came to the issue of transgender employees in the work place, two thirds
of heterosexuals 67 percent said that employee performance should be the
standard not sexuality.
The Out & Equal Workplace survey polled 2,868 adults, of whom 350
self-identified as, gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.
Its release comes as Congress considers the Federal Employment
Non-Discrimination Act, or ENDA.
The bill was introduced in Congress in April. If passed and signed by the
president it be illegal to fire, refuse to hire or refuse to promote an employee
based on the person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
Last week a House committee heard from LGBT victims of job discrimination.
It is expected the bill will come to a vote within the next two weeks in the
House.
Although most states provide job protections in 31 states, it's still legal to
fire someone because they're gay; in 39 states it is legal to fire someone for
being transgender.
Ninety-two percent of Fortune 500 companies now include workplace protections
based on an employees’ sexual orientation, according to the report –- up from 51
percent in 1995.
A majority of Fortune 500 companies provide benefits to same-sex domestic
partners. Over the past year 17 companies have added the benefits bringing
the total to 267 -– or 53 percent of Fortune 500 companies.
Since Jan. 2006, the number of Fortune 500 companies that include gender
identity in their non-discrimination policies went from 78 to 125.
ENDA has the endorsement of leading Democrats and major labor groups.
In May the Transport Workers Union of America became the latest union to
announce its support for the measure. The union represents 130,000 workers
nationwide.
The extent of workplace discrimination became evident in June when a study was
released showing employment harassment remains at nearly the same level it did a
decade ago.
The study, by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law, found that 15 to
43 percent of lesbian, gay, or bisexual people experienced employment
discrimination based on sexual orientation.
(Emphasis Added)
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