UTAH: Employment descrimination
You wouldn’t expect to be harassed because of your sex, race or religion at work. At least not without some sort of repercussion dealt to your attacker. So, what seems to be the difference in the case of sexual orientation?
Surprisingly, there are still no laws in Utah against such discrimination for gays, lesbians, bisexual or transgendered people. After a state legislative meeting this morning, one group hopes that will all change.
“She said she wouldn’t work with a freak…with a faggot,” says Ariana Losco.
“They were calling me a faggot. They said I was disgusting, that it was disgusting to the Mormon religion,” says Bryan Horn.
Both these quotes have more in common than just their hateful messages. Both attacks were both delivered at the work place, during company hours.
Ariana and Bryan were two of several gay, lesbian or transgendered people who testified before a state legislative committee this morning. At this meeting, an openly lesbian representative introduced a bill that would ban job discrimination in Utah.
“The workplace ought to have its own rules,” says Paul Mero of the Sutherland Institute.“Why make a broad state law to handle these isolated situations?”
The problem, in the case of Ariana and Bryan, is that not all workplaces handle these situations.
“I had my sex changed in 1994. I am not a cross dresser and I have never been a cross-dresser. I have more style than that,” Ariana jokingly says before the legislative committee.
She told the committee that she was harassed by her supervisor at a Tooele Nursing Home where she works as a Nurses Aid. Ariana says that her bosses wouldn’t help with her situation.
The same can be said for Bryan.
He was fired two weeks ago from a Utah County credit union. He says that a former boss told him it was because he was gay. He also told Bryan of all the things that they would say behind his back.
“As I was leaving, they were laughing,” says Bryan.
With the new proposed law, Ariana would be able to sue if their boss neglected to assess the types of situations that they had to experience.
Supporters of the bill don’t expect it to pass right now. It took ten years for Utah to get a hate crime bill, -might as well get started now.
Surprisingly, there are still no laws in Utah against such discrimination for gays, lesbians, bisexual or transgendered people. After a state legislative meeting this morning, one group hopes that will all change.
“She said she wouldn’t work with a freak…with a faggot,” says Ariana Losco.
“They were calling me a faggot. They said I was disgusting, that it was disgusting to the Mormon religion,” says Bryan Horn.
Both these quotes have more in common than just their hateful messages. Both attacks were both delivered at the work place, during company hours.
Ariana and Bryan were two of several gay, lesbian or transgendered people who testified before a state legislative committee this morning. At this meeting, an openly lesbian representative introduced a bill that would ban job discrimination in Utah.
“The workplace ought to have its own rules,” says Paul Mero of the Sutherland Institute.“Why make a broad state law to handle these isolated situations?”
The problem, in the case of Ariana and Bryan, is that not all workplaces handle these situations.
“I had my sex changed in 1994. I am not a cross dresser and I have never been a cross-dresser. I have more style than that,” Ariana jokingly says before the legislative committee.
She told the committee that she was harassed by her supervisor at a Tooele Nursing Home where she works as a Nurses Aid. Ariana says that her bosses wouldn’t help with her situation.
The same can be said for Bryan.
He was fired two weeks ago from a Utah County credit union. He says that a former boss told him it was because he was gay. He also told Bryan of all the things that they would say behind his back.
“As I was leaving, they were laughing,” says Bryan.
With the new proposed law, Ariana would be able to sue if their boss neglected to assess the types of situations that they had to experience.
Supporters of the bill don’t expect it to pass right now. It took ten years for Utah to get a hate crime bill, -might as well get started now.
Comments