Discrimination Against Gays and Lesbians in the Workplace

The topic I have chosen for my research paper comes under the general heading of culture. Culture may be defined as the language, beliefs, values, norms, and material objects passed from one generation to the next. The specific topic I proposed to investigate is discrimination of homosexuals in the workplace. This topic is particularly interesting to me because I am an advocate of equality for all. I believe that no matter your race, age, sex, or sexual orientation you should be treated fairly. My paper will provide an in depth look at this type of discrimination, the laws that protect the victims, and explain how this affects our society. Finally, I will describe the insights I have gained in researching this topic as well as pose some additional questions on the topic.
Lesbians and Gay men face discrimination everyday for their choice of lifestyle choosing a different sexual orientation has caused them to be discriminated against. The people that are a part of the homosexual community have to deal with inequality in the world in general but the workplace is supposed to be a place of business. Homosexuals are the victims of harassment, unlawful termination, and hate crimes especially in the workplace. These things take place because of sexism and inequality (Mills).
These types of discrimination stem from large corporations that see homosexuals in the workplace as a threat. They feel that the image that their company is trying to portray is not one of homosexuality. This can lead to their own judgments overcoming that of the other employees that feel that homosexuality is okay. But, there are some employees that feel the way big corporations do which causes problems as far as discriminatory acts towards homosexuals in the workplace. Because of the awareness of these employees homosexuality is put on the front line, persecution of homosexuals rights and lifestyle is escalated and therefore turned into a larger problem than what was foreseen in the first place.

References: Carroll, R. (2003). Gays, lesbians making gains in workplace, study shows. The Detroit News, . Retrieved Oct 02, 2005, from www. detnews.com (Carroll, 2003) Human Rights Campaign, (2002). Gays getting fair treatment at work. Retrieved Oct. 11, 2005, from CBS News Web site: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/09/10/national/main521354.shtml. (Gays Getting Fair Treatment at Work, 2002) , . (2002, Oct). Discrimination against lesbians and gays men in the workplace.. Message posted to Legal Brief, archived at www.unison.org.uk/acrobat/B444.pdf Mills, K. I. (n.d.). The state of the workplace for gays and lesbians. Retrieved Oct. 02, 2005, from http://featuredreports.monster.com. (Mills)