The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is pushing for civil rights protections for sexual orientation, arguing that sexual orientation comes under the umbrella of sex discrimination. The EEOC has filed lawsuits against employers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Baltimore, Maryland, the latter of which clearly shows how sexual orientation is linked to gender:
The employee, Yolanda Boone, whose sexual orientation was known to her co-workers, said her supervisor made numerous comments regarding her orientation and appearance, including "I want to turn you back into a woman" and "You would look good in a dress," according to the lawsuit.
The supervisor blew a kiss at her and stuck out his tongue in a suggestive manner, the EEOC alleges in the lawsuit.
That’s all about enforcing traditional femininity on a woman who’s seen to step outside it, and that’s sex discrimination. Boone says she was fired after complaining about the harassment. Both Boone’s employer, IFCO Systems North America, and Scott Medical Health Center in Pittsburgh, where a gay man complained of harassment by a manager, wouldn’t settle with the EEOC, leading to these lawsuits.
This kind of case shows us how much elections matter. President Obama’s EEOC is pushing to expand civil rights protections. Under a President Trump or Cruz, there’s no way we wouldn’t go backward. And the Supreme Court might could end up with the final say over what workers are fair game for harassment, so that’s one more way every Senate election this November will matter to workers.
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