Evidence from the Frontlines on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Discrimination

Abstract

Persistent evidence of employment discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people has prompted policymakers in some states and local jurisdictions to outlaw such discrimination. Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia currently ban sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) discrimination in employment, and one additional state bans only sexual orientation discrimination. Half of the LGBT population lives in states that do not have any laws prohibiting discrimination in private employment.1 In those remaining states, 24 have one or more cities and counties that offer some form of protection. Progress at the federal level has been slower, however, and there is no explicit ban on SOGI discrimination in federal statutes. President Obama signed an Executive Order in 2014 that requires companies that do business with the federal government to have policies that pledge nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.