States where you can be fired for being gay

Nondiscrimination Laws

Housing nondiscrimination laws guard LGBTQ people from being unfairly evicted, denied housing, or refused the ability to rent or buy housing on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity. This map shows state housing nondiscrimination laws that explicitly enumerate sexual orientation and/or gender identity as protected classes, as well as states that explicitly interpret existing sex protections to incorporate sexual orientation and/or gender identity.  Additionally, in states without state protections, municipalities may provide local-level nondiscrimination protections. Spot our maps tracking local-level nondiscrimination ordinances here. 

Other rights may remain or be recognized where you live; this map is not intended as legal advice or an indication of your rights. If you have experienced discrimination, contact Lambda Legal's Help Desk or otherwise seek legal advice.

  • State law explicitly prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity (22 states , 1 t

    Employment Nondiscrimination

    In June , the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity is illegal under Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on sex in employment. As a noun of this ruling, LGBTQ people across the country can continue to file complaints with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and seek recourse for discrimination in the workplace through federal courts.

    Note that some states also have explicit laws against employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity, and these are included below. These state laws remain important so that LGBTQ people are protected against discrimination at every level of government, and because they are often passed alongside additional protections not yet enshrined in federal law, such as protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in housing and public places.  Some cities and counties also have such protections, and those

    Can you be fired for being gay? Answer depends largely on where you live

    Karen Pence, the wife of Vice President Mike Pence, garnered national attention this month after she returned to work at an evangelical Christian college that bars LGBTQ employees and students. While the Virginia school’s policies sparked criticism, they also highlighted the complicated patchwork of employment protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workers across the country.

    “If you are an LGBT employee in the U.S., you deal with a very complicated legal landscape when it comes to whether or not you can be discriminated against by a prospective employer,” Ineke Mushovic, executive director of Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ think tank, told NBC News.

    This “complicated legal landscape” involves conflicting court rulings, differing interpretations of civil rights laws by federal agencies, a patchwork of state laws and carve outs for religiously affiliated organizations.

    THE COURTS

    For starters, there is no federal law that expressly prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of sexu

    On August 23rd, 15 states filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court asking them to rule against three individuals who were fired for being LGBTQ. The three cases include the first transgender civil rights case to be heard by the high court on October 8th.

    Officials in Texas, Nebraska, and Tennessee led the pro-discrimination noun. They successfully added the following 12 additional state officials to the brief attacking LGBTQ rights: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Louisiana, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Kentucky.

    These officials promoting government-sanctioned discrimination verb shown that they are out-of-touch with the majority of Americans who sustain the idea that no one should be fired because of who they are. Across lines of party, demographics, and geography, Americans broadly support nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people, according to a recently released poll.

    The employees in these cases, including ACLU clients Aimee Stephens who was fired for being transgender and Don Zarda who was fired for being gay, have a