Alabama (AL) Gay Discrimination Law in the Workplace

August 18th, 2006 Posted by Savannah

Alabama has no laws covering public and private employment in the case of sexual orientation discrimination. Title 25 of the Code of Alabama, enacted in 1975, is the sole law which covers employment discrimination. Employers are becoming increasingly aware of suits brought up against major corporations concerning discriminatory human resource policies that include sexual orientation; among the Fortune 500, 328 companies (65%) have already created these policies.

Since Alabama does not have specific regulations handling these types of claims, it usually falls to the EEOC handles cases made against employers. Under Alabama law, as in Federal anti-discrimination laws which both lack of language pertaining to gays, only the individual claimant’s immediate supervisor can be sued personally for harassment claims in the workplace.

In a recent Gallup poll, Americans strongly favored equal opportunity for gays and lesbians in the workplace. The purpose of the ENDA (Employment Non-Discrimination Act) would be to first federal law to be proposed which will protect Americans who are fired or penalized due solely to their sexual preference.

As is the case in most suits brought against employers, they must be filed in a timely-fashion, generally within one year. However, they can have various deadlines, based interpretations and other qualifications, which would include those being filed under class action procedures. Knowing your rights under the existing Alabama laws is important, but stay informed of changing actions in both state and Federal legislation.

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Posted in Alabama, Discrimination, Employment Laws, Hostile Environment

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