WASHINGTON — It’s still legal for members of Congress to fire their employees based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. That’s because there is no federal law protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees from workplace discrimination, even though many states have their own policies that are more inclusive.
Many lawmakers, however, have gone above and beyond existing law — which requires protections on the basis of race, national origin, color, sex, religion, age and disability — to include their LGBT staffers. Each office writes its own employee policies, and some are including sexual orientation, gender identity and/or gender expression in their anti-discrimination protections.
House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) asked House Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Texas) last month to include protections for LGBT employees in the House rules package. Sessions declined.
This week, Hoyer, Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.), LGBT Equality Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) and House Administration Committee Ranking Member Robert Brady (D-Pa.) urged more of their colleagues to adopt LGBT-inclusive policies, even providing sample language for them to use.
“Under the current House Rules, an employee who is lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender may be fired, demoted, denied a promotion, or otherwise discriminated against because of his or her sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression,” the letter stated. “This remains the case even while hundreds of LGBT individuals employed by the House are advancing the work of the Congress and are playing an important role in helping us serve our constituents.”
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Offices Without LGBT-Inclusive Protections
Senate: Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.)
House: Alan Grayson (D-Fla.), Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), David Scott (D-Ga.)
This list will be updated as we get responses from members of Congress.
