Employers in Florida are required to provide their workers with safe working environments, and they’re prohibited from discriminating against prospective or current employees on the basis of certain protected characteristics. They are also required to protect workers from sexual harassment at the workplace. According to surveys compiled by the Williams Institute at UCLA, roughly 4 percent of the national workforce self-identifies as a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender person.
Among LGBT workers, 21 percent said they’d experienced discrimination in promotions, pay or hiring. Four percent of workplace discrimination complaints come from LGBT workers. The issue is not isolated to the United States. European studies have shown that roughly 20 percent of LGBT persons felt discriminated against during their job search. In some countries, such as India, there are laws prohibiting same-sex relationships. In these places, the LGBT population has no workplace legal protection against discriminatory behavior.
Transgender people are more likely than their lesbian, bisexual or gay coworkers to experience mistreatment at work. Among people in the U.S. who identify as transgender, roughly 90 percent say they’ve been treated wrongly at work. They also leave jobs because the work environment is not welcoming. Almost 10 percent of LGBT workers have quit a job because they felt unwelcome in the workplace.
An estimated 40 percent of lesbian, gay and bisexual workers has experienced discrimination or harassment as a result of their sexual orientation. For transgender employees, as many as 97 percent have experienced discrimination or harassment at work.
When people are discriminated against at work, they might have legal recourse. A Boca Raton, Florida, LGBT workplace discrimination assistance attorney might help by examining the situation and identifying potential causes of action. A lawyer might be able to negotiate a solution with the employer or draft and file a complaint for relief in civil court.
