Annotated Bibliography
Crooks, Robert and Karla Baur. Our Sexuality. Belmont: Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.
The authors Robert Crooks and Karla Baur discussed the various issues regarding a person's sexuality and how the society deals with these issues. In the issue on LGBT employment and discrimination, Crooks and Baur noted that the US military had held resentment and the position that LGBTs should not be employed in the corps considering the hindrances and distractions they could give to other military employees. The authors also noted that gays are usually faced with great hostility, and many were removed because of their sexual orientation.
Karasmeighan, Kate. "NGLCC Calls New Statistics on LGBT Employees Startling." NGLCC Official Website, 22 September 2009. Web. 1 December 2012 <http://www.nglcc.org/node/10846>.
The article written by Kate Karasmeighan to the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce reveals the 2009 statistics on how LGBT Employees in the country have changed in the survey. While Karasmeighan noted that while the federal government and state governments have enacted various policies to stop employment discrimination on LGBTs, there are still numbers that show that LGBT employees are still being discriminated in their workplaces and have remained silent on their sexual preferences.
Stein, Marc. Rethinking the Gay and Lesbian Movements. New York: Routledge, 2012. Print.
The book written by Marc Stein narrates the changes on LGBT movements since their inception and how much changes they have pushed throughout the years. In the case of employment discrimination for LGBTs, Stein noted that the LGBT movements have fostered change throughout the United States and managed to convince cities, counties and states to enforce policies that would protect LGBTs from discrimination, and harassment from their co-workers.
Stewart, Chuck. Gay and Lesbian Issues: A Reference Handbook. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2003. Print.
The book written by Chuck Steward provides readers a reference as to the various gay and lesbian issues in the United States and what had happened throughout these issues. Steward notes that the LGBT employment discrimination began sometime in the 1880s as many LGBTs were already being forced out of their work due to their sexual orientation. History also shows that LGBTs were not only forced out of their jobs, but they were also restricted from getting new jobs and their well-deserved pay and promotions.
Von Horn, Carl and Herbert Schaffner. Work in America: An Encyclopedia of History, Policy and Society. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2003. Print.
Aside from detailing the various work-related issues surrounding employees employed by American companies and the nature of American work environments, Carl Von Horn and Herbert Schaffner also included the discussion as to how discrimination is done towards various groups. In the case of LGBTs, they noted that LGBTs who are discovered to have a different sexual orientation is at risk with their peers as there are no laws that can protect them and there is also the risk of harassment. Both authors have noted that some LGBTs tend to be accepted in some employment fields while others tend to be pessimistic over the capacity of LGBTs to work on those fields. Some have even been reported to move out of their work due to pressure and harassment due to their sexual preference and orientation.
LGBT Employment
- Introduction
Over the years, the issue on employment discrimination has been debated and remedied by the federal government as prohibitions have been placed against discrimination and forced removal due to race, color, religion, citizenship and even age. While these provisions have helped various employees, some are not that lucky as they continue to be persecuted and discriminated. These groups include members of the LGBT Communities, who have been discriminated and removed from their positions due to their sexual preferences. Although employers have the right to remove employees out of their roster, policies have been enforced to prohibit such discrimination to become the reason for employee removal even if they have differing orientations. While many states have already passed laws to prohibit discrimination based on sexual discrimination, there is still a lack of action in terms of the federal government on supporting prohibition of discrimination of employees due to their sexual orientation.
- Brief History of LGBT Employee Discrimination
Similar to racial discrimination, LGBTs have been a subject of various employment discrimination slurs since the early 1800s. Aside from not being permitted to purchase homes and be recognized as families, LGBTs were refrained from getting decent jobs and were forced to resign because of discrimination. The 1884 case of Payne v. Western Alt. R.R showcased the first of the few policies that enabled employers to fire employees without reason. The doctrine which permitted these employers to hire and fire employees no matter what the reason is known as the “Employment at will”. The doctrine was modified in 1964 when the US Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to protect homosexuals from these types of discrimination. Under the revised doctrine, LGBT employees were terminated willfully by their employers. History also noted that LGBTs were automatically disqualified from gaining licensing and employment requirements. If the homosexual has work, he or she would no longer be able to get renewed credentials once they are fired. While the US government had overturned the decision of various employers over firing their homosexual employees without reason, there was still support over firing these employees should they open up about their orientation and influence their work capacity .
- Current Facts and Statistics on LGBT Employees
Currently, LGBT employees had to hide their identity to their employers and fellow employees to keep their work. According to the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, the American corporate society continues to change their perception over the issue of LGBT discrimination in the workplace. However, they have still noted that there are still questionable trends to consider regarding LGBTs in the workplace. According to the study done by the NGLCC, at least 51% of LGBT workers had to hide their identities to keep their jobs and shows how crucial it is to have a federal act passed to protect these LGBTs. The survey also noted that only 5% of LGBTs, ages 18-24, are capable of opening up to their fellow employees about their sexual orientation. For the 20% of the LGBTs, they find it hard to come out of their shell and admit their sexual orientation. Justin Nelson, co-founder of NGLCC have noted that younger LGBT employees find it easier to come out, but like others, they find it hard to remove the doubts that they may be fired or harassed because of their sexual orientation.
In cases of anonymous human resource surveys that have been done in companies and random sampling, only 7 out of 10 LGBT employees would disclose their orientations considering the possible backlash it may have over their career. Nonetheless, these LGBTs find it easier to disclose their position over these anonymous surveys as it would not detail their background. Of course, it was also noted in the survey that when someone makes a sexual orientation slur in work, it would not be surprising that 58% of the LGBT workers would find themselves lying about their personal lives. There were also instances that 1/3 or 28% of employees believe that they may find the LGBT orientation a cause for their degrading jobs once it is discovered. The constant talks about social and love life also make it hard for LGBTs to open up with their other co-workers. At least 89% of conversations in offices are about their social life, and once it is discussed, many of the LGBTs ignore it .
- Equality on LGBT Employment
While the trends showcase that there is indeed a problem on LGBT employment and the discrimination that comes with it, there have been actions and protests to call for equality for the LGBT employees. Around the 1950s, several gay and lesbian movements have called for the enactment of anti-discriminatory laws for LGBTs in all levels of government. While the battle took a while to produce results, the 1990s introduced several changes through the Civil Service Commission were enacted to ban all forms of sexual orientation discrimination in various federal government jobs. The US Congress and Senate had also mandated that hate crimes would not be tolerated, especially on the workplace. Since the 1990s, more than eighty different cities and counties have banned anti-homosexual discrimination in the workplace: this included the facts on gender identity, expression, and their right to government rights. In the early 2000s, the LGBT community was able to push for more anti-discriminatory policies on LGBT Employment in sixteen states and in Washington, D.C. In addition to these numbers, fifteen states have less comprehensive laws on anti-discriminatory acts for LGBT employees while 175 cities and counties adopted laws to restrain employment discrimination due to sexual orientation .
- Problems and Policies on LGBT Employment
While there are already calls to do call off discrimination policies in the country, LGBTs are still at risk in their communities given the lack of federal protection and policy. However, some have noted that LGBTs should not be included in the workforce, considering what their presence can do with other employees. This is visible in the case of the US military as they have noted that homosexuals under their ranks would compromise their operations due to their sexual preferences. Like other employees, LGBT members of the military had to keep their lips sealed to prevent others from knowing their status as they may be fired and demoted. While President Bill Clinton had ordered a “don’t ask, do not tell policy” with the military to enable LGBT personnel to continue their position in the military, there were still doubts to let these people work for the corps. Some experts believe that almost 12,500 homosexuals had been removed from service due to their gender preference. There were also notes that gays and lesbians are prone to exhibiting distractions that may affect the operation .
In terms of regular employees, LGBT employees tend to be at risk to sexual orientation slurs from their fellow colleagues once they are known or believed to be from the LGBT group. Without a federal law in action to protect these workers, LGBT employees are denied of their promotions, unequal pay, and sometimes intentional firing just because they are considered immodest or improper. Aside from this, LGBT employees tend to be harassed by their co-workers and their managers, eventually a few would leave because of these harassments. Verbal and physical abuse tends to be prominent in LGBT employee discrimination cases, making it hard for these employees to find a safe and acceptable environment. While there have been fields that have been good with LGBT workers, such as health care, colleges, and libraries; some have remained hostile to them, such as manufacturing, construction and teaching .
- Personal Analysis
In light of the growing number of LGBTs in society at the present time, the issue on LGBT employment presents two things. On the one hand, there are already working policies in states and cities that discourage and ban LGBT employment as these employees tend to be harassed once they are known to be members of the third sex. LGBT Movements made it possible for these changes to occur as they called the attention of law-makers to address the issue. On the other hand, it is visible that while states have already fostered anti-LGBT discriminatory policies in workplaces there is still the stigma seen with these employees due to the lack of federal policy. While it is true that LGBTs may serve as a hindrance in some workplaces and fields, they too have the capacity to excel in their respective fields given that they are treated equally by their co-workers.
- Conclusion
A stable and workable federal policy would be crucial to ensure that LGBT employees are protected by law from harassment, intended dismissal, unequal wages and work choice. Without a uniform federal policy on the issue, LGBTs may find it hard to understand and analyze what the state policies curtail when it comes to anti-discrimination in the work place. A federal policy to resolve this issue would also encompass the entire country into one set of standards regarding anti-discrimination for all while in their workplaces.
Works Cited
Crooks, Robert and Karla Baur. Our Sexuality. Belmont: Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.
Karasmeighan, Kate. "NGLCC Calls New Statistics on LGBT Employees Startling." NGLCC Official Website, 22 September 2009. Web. 1 December 2012 <http://www.nglcc.org/node/10846>.
Stein, Marc. Rethinking the Gay and Lesbian Movements. New York: Routledge, 2012. Print.
Stewart, Chuck. Gay and Lesbian Issues: A Reference Handbook. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2003. Print.
Von Horn, Carl and Herbert Schaffner. Work in America: An Encyclopedia of History, Policy and Society. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2003. Print.
