Job inequality for the LGBTQIA community.

This article is in reference to the overall state of LGBTQIA rights within our country. Specifically the 29 states where it’s legal for employers to fire someone for their sexual orientation. And even more specifically about a man in Mississippi that was fired once his employer found out about his private life. Andre Cooley is a state employee working at a juvenile corrections center as a corrections officer. In the summer of 2010, Cooley made a 911 call while at the time his then boyfriend was displaying violent behavior. One of the officers who answered the call was Cooley’s work colleague. This incident resulted in Cooley’s bosses at the Forrest County Sheriff’s Office to learn of his sexual orientation. Three days later he was fired. The county sheriff claims it wasn’t for that reason but instead because there had been multiple domestic dispute calls from his residence. The County Sheriff, Billy McGee, also declined to comment on the fact that Cooley claimed a supervisor directly told him he was being let go because he was gay. Cooley sued the county for his job back on the grounds that he should be protected under the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution as a government employee. Cooley received a financial settlement, his position back as a Corrections Officer, as well as the institution of an anti-discrimination policy from the county.

Gay rights are not only an issue within our country but also a global issue. Much progress has been made in the way of gay marriage but legal and social equalities are still few and far between. Many believe we live in a progressive world where job discrimination based on ones sexual orientation or gender identity is illegal, when in fact it is legal in 29 states. Ones right to work and make a living for themselves is overshadowed by their personal lives. It is extremely staggering to think of the countless human rights those of the LGBTQIA community are refused in the states, as well as worldwide. 

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/22/opinion/sutter-employment-discrimination-lgbt/index.html?hpt=hp_c2