Sexual Orientation Discrimination

Minnesota is one of several states that has laws protecting employees based upon their sexual orientation. The Minnesota Human Rights Act (MHRA) specifically protects gay, lesbian, and bisexual employees from being discriminated against at their place of work based upon their sexual orientation.

What is Sexual Orientation Discrimination?

Employment discrimination based upon an employee’s sexual orientation can be blatantly easy to recognize or more difficult depending if the employer is attempting to mask it. Sexual orientation discrimination can involve any of the following examples:

• Failure to hire, promote, or provide certain benefits to an employee whose sexual orientation is gay or bisexual or is perceived to be gay or bisexual.
• Terminating, firing, or demoting an employee based upon their sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation.
• Creating or fostering a hostile work environment for an employee because of their sexual orientation, which could include
• Derogatory comments or language about gay, lesbian, or bisexual individuals. Routinely singling an employee out in a group setting because of the employee’s sexual orientation.
• Threats from co-workers or supervisors, offensive jokes, bullying, or repeated abusive behavior.
• Taking an adverse employment action against a gay, bisexual, or transgender employee such as assigning them undesirable work tasks compared to colleagues, not providing the same training and oversight that other employees received, or applying a different standard to the employee’s work performance because of the employee’s sexual orientation.
• Being told not to bring the employee’s same-sex partner to a company event that other employees’ romantic partners and spouses are invited to.
• Having improper stereotypes applied to an employee because of the employee’s sexual orientation, such as, not being manly enough, being too effeminate, or being not feminine enough.

Have you been the victim of sexual orientation discrimination in the workplace?

If you, a family member, or a loved one have been the victim of sexual orientation discrimination or have been treated unfairly in the workplace because you are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or transsexual, contact Minneapolis Minnesota Sexual Orientation Discrimination Employment Lawyer Christopher Kuhlman at Kuhlman Law, PLLC. Depending on the facts of your case, you may be entitled to compensation for lost wages, future lost wages, emotional harm, and potentially punitive damages to punish the employer for its conduct.

To learn more and schedule a free consultation with a Minneapolis Minnesota Employee Rights Lawyer, call (612) 349-2747.