Here Are The 29 States Where Tim Cook Could Have Been Fired For Saying He Was Gay
While the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects people from being discriminated against based on whether they are male or female, there is no federal law protecting people from employers who take issue with their sexual orientation.
In fact, only 21 states and the District of Columbia have laws protecting people from workplace discrimination based on their sexual orientation. This group includes California, where Apple is based, but not Cook's home state of Alabama.
The Human Rights Campaign, an LGBT advocacy organization, has a handy map showing which states have laws protecting people from discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.
The states in white - most of the southeast and midwest - are the ones without laws prohibiting a company from firing a person just for being gay.
A national law to outlaw employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity passed the Senate late last year, but has not yet been brought to a vote in the House of Representatives.
On the bright side, the federal government has said that its departments and its contractors cannot discriminate against employees based on gender identity or sexual orientation.
Additionally, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which brings lawsuits against companies on behalf of their employees, has argued that discrimination against transgender and gay people are forms of sex discrimination and should be covered by the Civil Rights Act.
However, it's up to the individual courts hearing the EEOC's cases to decide whether they agree with that argument.
- I got a $40K raise using this 30-second strategy. It made me realize loud work, not hard work, always wins.
- Qatar Airways' new CEO explains why it's sticking with the Airbus A380 as other airlines retire the costly superjumbo
- Prince Harry and Meghan found out about Kate Middleton's cancer diagnosis on TV like everyone else, report says
- Kia India looks to expand sales, service network to 700 touchpoints by year-end
- Shapoorji Pallonji’s Afcons Infra files DRHP for ₹7,000 crore IPO
- Water crisis affects businesses across Bengaluru; Is there room for cautious optimism?
- BenQ Zowie EC2-CW review – Premium wireless mouse for gamers
- Banks' GNPAs set to improve further to 2.1 pc by FY25: Care Ratings