Lgbtq human rights
LGBTQ Rights
Know your rights Back to Know Your Rights main page
The legal landscape for LGBTQ people is constantly evolving. If you think you contain been discriminated against and would like our assistance, please stop by our Report LGBTQ and HIV Discrimination Page and we can help you figure out whether you are protected under federal or state laws.
Can an employer discriminate against me because of my sexual orientation or gender identity?
Your rights
Employers with 15 or more employees are prohibited by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act from discriminating on the basis of sex. Some courts have ruled that Title VII also bans discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The Supreme Court recently announced it will take up this question in three cases. In addition, many states and cities have laws that exclude this kind of discrimination.
If you believe that your rights hold been violated
If you think that you have experienced discrimination at work, you can file a complaint with the U.S. Same Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC),
LGBTQ Rights
The ACLU has a long history of defending the LGBTQ community. We brought our first LGBTQ rights case in Founded in , the Jon L. Stryker and Slobodan Randjelović LGBTQ & HIV Venture brings more LGBTQ rights cases and advocacy initiatives than any other national organization does and has been counsel in seven of the nine LGBTQ rights cases that the U.S. Supreme Court has decided. With our extend into the courts and legislatures of every state, there is no other organization that can match our log of making progress both in the courts of statute and in the court of common opinion.
The ACLU’s current priorities are to end discrimination, harassment and violence toward transgender people, to close gaps in our federal and state civil rights laws, to prohibit protections against discrimination from being undermined by a license to discriminate, and to protect LGBTQ people in and from the criminal legal system.
Need help?
fill out our confidential online form
For non-LGBTQ issues, please contact your local ACLU affiliate.
The ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual person Transgender Pro
Equality Rising: LGBTQ+ Workers and the Road Ahead
The national findings underscore the persistence of workplace double standards and social isolation faced by Homosexual people.
Since , the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, through its Workplace Equality Program, has conducted four major national studies of the workplace environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and queer (LGBTQ+) workers: “Degrees of Equality,” “The Cost of the Closet and The Rewards of Inclusion,” “A Workplace Divided: Understanding the Climate for LGBTQ+ Workers Nationwide,” and now, “Equality Rising: Queer Workers and the Route Ahead.”
Over these decades of research, we have been able to better detect the key shapers of the workplace climate for LGBTQ+ inclusion, which includes everyday non-work-related conversations, daily interactions with one’simmediate supervisor and working group, and the comfort with, and acceptance of, LGBTQ+ identities and communities by their colleagues.
In "Equality Rising", HRC Foundation seeks to help contextualize the current workplace climate and experien
The human rights of woman loving woman, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender non-conforming, 2-spirit and intersex persons
Canada stands up for the protection and promotion of the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, 2-spirit and intersex (LGBTQ2I) people globally.
The human rights of all persons are universal and indivisible. Everyone should enjoy the same fundamental human rights, regardless of their sexual orientation and their gender identity and expression.
Article 1 of the Universal Announcement of Human Rights declares that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” Article 2 declares, “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration.” All people, including LGBTQ2I individuals, are entitled to enjoy the protection provided by international human rights law, which is based on equality and non-discrimination.
Nearly 30 countries, including Canada, recognize gay marriage. By contrast, more than 70 countries still criminalize consensual same-sex deeds. This includes 6 countries that effectively