Employers Need to Watch Changing LGBT Legal Landscape

Candice Pinares-Baez’s article “Employers Need to Watch Changing LGBT Legal Landscape” was featured in the Daily Business Review on June 11, 2015.

Over the last 20 years, our country has experienced a significant shift in the legal landscape regarding the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender community.

During this relatively short period of time, we have seen the U.S. Supreme Court strike down sodomy laws as unconstitutional restraint on liberty, the repeal of the Clinton-era “don’t ask, don’t tell” military policy that forbade openly gay men and women from serving in the military, the recognition of same-sex marriages and civil unions in 37 states and the District of Columbia, and the passage and subsequent repeal of key portions of the Defense of Marriage Act defining marriage as between one man and one women.

In the article, Candice discusses how society’s attitude toward gay, lesbians, bisexual and transgender individuals is changing at a rapid pace and driving changes in the law. As a result, she advises that employers ensure that their employment decision are based on objective business requirement and legitimate reason and not based on preconceived notions, biases and stereotypes.