Are LGBTQ people the last minority group you can legally discriminate against in America?

[Behind the Aegis]

Out Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) appeared on MSNBC to talk about the landmark LGBTQ civil rights legislation before Congress, the Equality Act. Cicilline introduced and sponsored the bill in the House of Representatives.

“The LGBTQ community remains the only community, that I’m aware of, in America that it’s legal to discriminate against and that’s just wrong,” he told host Joshua Johnson.

The House is expected to vote on the measure sometime this week. With the chamber controlled by Democrats, it is expected to pass easily.

The Equality Act is facing an obstacle in the Senate as Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) refused to co-sponsor the bill and won’t say why. She has previously co-sponsored it but is possibly upset that the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ advocacy group, endorsed her Democratic challenger in the last election.

Collins is seen as a moderate Republican, and the bill will need some Republican support to pass in the Senate. Given her past history of general support for LGBTQ rights, losing Collins’s vote could spell trouble for the game-changing LGBTQ bill unless Democrats are willing to finally end the filibuster.

more...

Seems, to me, a number of people are oblivious to the legality of anti-gay discrimination. The real question is this ignorance or willful blindness?

[Lithos]

1. Great question...

if you're talking about the obviously anti-gay legal discriminations resulting from LGBTQ identity not being a protected class - then I agree that represents the state of America today.

Do have to ask a more cynical question though which I realize is taking this a bit off tangent.

Even with official class protections - does that suffice? Are there not ways protected classes are still "legally" discriminated against, just that it's not spelled out as such? Discrimination from willful neglect and from ignorance is still discrimination. Discrimination built up by a death from a thousand cuts? Many examples - but for the lack of diversity of training models for Artificial Intelligence creates a form of discrimination or hardships; the creation of voting restrictions which impact more groups than another, etc. One example I frequently see affecting LGTBQ is the lack of support in schools for LGTBQ youth.

On Edit: - How is the above fixed?

[Behind the Aegis]

6. You ask your own interesting question.

While class protection for queer people is sorely needed, it will not always protect us in daily homophobia and heterosexism. Much like laws protect African-Americans, racism is still very much an issue. The legal protections, however, do offer some respite. So how is it (overall discrimination and recrimination) fixed? Education. It really comes down to educating people about the issues which face queer people and understanding the complexities of the community as a whole. It comes down to making sure that when the topic is GLBT protection and inclusion, it doesn't get side-tracked or hijacked by other issues, thereby watering down or even ignoring issues which we face.

Homophobia is something many seem to understand, at least up to a point; however, it is heterosexism which is needing a greater focus now. Most people, at least on the liberal side, though as witnessed here sometimes, not always, understand and are repelled by homophobia. Heterosexism, though, still seems to mystify people. They understand "white privilege" and "male privilege" but can't seem to wrap their minds around the concept of "straight privilege" and "cis privilege", and it is this area where many queer people find themselves at odds with people who are allegedly on our side. Education is again the answer, but many of us feel we are stopped in our tracks when we try to educate people on the topic of heterosexism.

[Sibelius Fan]

2. Don't forget atheists.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

3. There actually are lots of classes of people that it's still legal to discriminate against

Not that this shouldn't be REMEDIED, absolutely ... in the case of LGBTQ+, it's way past time

But ... yeah. It's a little hyperbolic to assert we are the ONLY class of people it's legal to discriminate against.

[J Magarac]

4. The legal doctrine with regard to discrimination is ...

... always allowed unless explicitly prohibited.

So I can have a non-smokers only apartment building, but not a whites only one.
Or (in many states and municipalities) straights only.

As for prohibiting anti-LGBTQ discrimination nationwide (such as that prohibited by race since 1964), it won't be long now.

[Lithos]

5. i like how you phrased this

So very true...

L-