This topic covers the different experiences a person of the LGBTQ+ community may go through in the workplace and how employers can be more inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community that work for them. Some of the LGBTQ + community have their own personal struggles as they figure out how to navigate their chosen lifestyle, but the last place that should place judgement on them is the workplace. They must earn a wage to support themselves to survive. The workplace should not be a place that makes working an uncomfortable experience and ostracizes anyone for being their true self. The workplace should consider being inclusive of people of diverse backgrounds.
The recent changes in the law to expand Title VII make it so that employers are unable to discriminate against someone during the application and hiring process or as an employee on the basis of their sexual orientation or their gender. They must consider the individual for the total package they are and base their hiring decisions on the qualifications of the candidate. The ADA was also expanded to include Gender Dysphoria as a qualifying disability. Prior to that, it was not. The R.G.& G.R. Harris Funeral Home v. EEOC and Aimee Stephens case really helped gender dysphoria gain attention as this was also a diagnosis of one of the Plaintiffs, Aimee Stephens.
A person who makes a choice to live as a Transgender Man, a Transgender Woman, Gay, Bisexual, or Lesbian does not deserve to be mistreated in the workplace. They should be supported like any other protected class of individuals. Thanks to some very special people who took their cases (Altitude Express, Inc. v. Zarda and Bostock v. Clayton County, GA and R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Home v. EEOC and Aimee Stephens) all the way to the Supreme Court, now they are.
Capstonian Blog: The Transition of Leadership When Faced with Gender Transitioning in the Workplace © 2023 by Aisha Biggers Tory is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0
"SCOTUS APRIL 2015 LGBTQ 54663" by tedeytan is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
Comments