Louisiana state Rep. Alan Seabaugh (R) doesn’t care if LGBT citizens are ever discriminated against by employers, if his newly proposed bill is any indication. If passed, HB 402 would prevent LGBT people from ever seeking judicial protection if they’re refused hire, denied promotion, or fired because of their sexual orientation or gender identity:
Provides that suits filed for employment discrimination for any reason other than age, disability, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, sickle cell trait, and genetic discrimination shall be dismissed and considered frivolous.
In Louisiana, nothing in the law explicitly protects LGBT from employment discrimination, and Seabaugh seems to want to keep it that way. Under this bill, any lawsuit alleging wrongful termination based on a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity would be automatically dismissed as “frivolous,” ensuring that all employers are free to discriminate without fear of civil action.
As Equality Louisiana points out, not only would their complaints not be heard, but then disenfranchised workers would also be liable for damages to their discriminating employers and court costs. In other words, if an LGBT individual is a victim of employment discrimination, the state would actually punish them with a financial burden for even trying to object.
Louisiana is one of 29 states with no employment protections based on sexual orientation and one of 34 states with no employment protections based on gender identity. (HT: Joe.My.God.)