A St. Louis police officer was recently awarded nearly 20 million dollars in a sex discrimination lawsuit against his employer. The officer, who had more than a decade of experience on the force, was allegedly told to “tone down his gayness” to increase his chances of promotion within the department because the staff “had a problem” with his sexuality. A lawsuit followed where jurors sided with the officer awarding him millions of dollars sending a message to employers across the nation that sexual orientation discrimination does not fly and there are consequences to pay. In the face of the sizable judgement, city officials are busily overhauling the department, mapping a new, inclusive way forward.
Although there is no federal statute that explicitly addresses employment discrimination based on sexual orientation, there are many states that have laws offering protection to the LGBTQ community. Iowa is an early state to enact laws protecting employees form employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. Iowa law forbids discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in hiring or advertising for a job and goes further to protect employees from wage discrimination, such as being denied promotions or other benefits based on their sexual orientation.
Although there are laws protecting employees against sex discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation that does not mean that it doesn’t happen. Unfortunately, many in the LGBTQ community can attest to begin victims of discrimination in the workplace based on their sexual orientation, be it subtle or blatant. Fortunately for Iowans the law stands squarely on the side of employees who suffer discrimination based on sex, including sexual orientation, and both federal and state laws offer protection against discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin, religion, age and disability.
Get Help From An Experienced Iowa Sexual Orientation Discrimination Lawyer
If you have been discriminated against on the basis of your sex, specifically your sexual orientation or gender identity, it is important to seek help from an experienced Iowa sexual orientation discrimination lawyer, Call Iowa employment law attorney Marc Humphrey for a free consultation at 515-331-3510.
