Discrimination

Overview

 

Throughout most of Florida, it is legal to fire someone or deny them access to housing or public accommodations because they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT). While it is illegal to discriminate in employment, housing and public accommodations based race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, handicap or marital status,  the LGBT community is currently left out of statewide non-discrimination protections.

Since 2004, Equality Florida has been working to pass a statewide bill that would include the LGBT community into current non-discrimination laws. The current bill, entitled the Florida Competitive Workforce Act, would add sexual orientation and gender identity to Chapter 760 of the Florida state statues.

Although no statewide law yet exists, Equality Florida has been successfully working with our local partners all over the state to ensure LGBT people are protected from discrimination at the local level.

In fact, over 55% of Floridians live in a place that protects them from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Communities enact these protections because they know having a diverse talent pool helps their community to thrive. Having these protections is quickly becoming the standard for cities and counties across Florida.

In addition to cities and counties, businesses have been leading the way in offering LGBT inclusive non-discrimination protections. In fact, 89% of Fortune 500 companies protect employees against discrimination based on sexual orientation and 41% also include gender identity. Equality Florida has launched Equality Means Business to partner with businesses who know that equality in the workplace is good for their business.

 

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I to have been a victim of Discrimination as a Disabled Veteran and Transgender Government employee at BAE Systems in Nashua New Hampshire. This from a company who has an ethics policy about non discrimination on Gender Identity and Sexual Preferences, but has recent multiple cases against Gender, Disability, and there did not seem to be any problems with my performance prior to them learning of my transgender status. They often made comment about a transgender African American female that worked there and how disgusted they were to have her in the same building. There was no issues other than I documented any issues found as a Government auditor of their contract. The problems stsarte after they knew of my status. After inquiring about the allegations by BAE in August their response was provided to me the reference to me leaving was after they bared me from their facility their response on 2/22/2012 is as follows; >> Dear Tamara, >> Several of the individuals who were involved in this case are no longer with BAE, and many organizational changes have occurred since you left, so retrieving everything I needed took far longer than anticipated. I have since conducted several interviews and reviewed the available material. >> What I see in the record is a complicated situation in which several BAE employees alleged that specific behavior - not your status, but statements and actions in the workplace unrelated to your job - made them feel harassed. The investigation conducted by HR was thorough, included several different sources of information, and seems to have followed an established process. >> John W. Truslow, III >> >> Director, Ethics and Business Conduct >> >> BAE Systems, Inc., Electronic Systems john.truslow@baesystems.com >> If they cannot do it one way they will always try another.
Tamara