Many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) employees get the feeling in the workplace that their employer or co-workers treat them differently because of their sexual orientation. This can be a very frustrating and upsetting experience and one that you might feel powerless to do anything about.
However, if you have experienced harassing behavior from employees or managers in your workplace that you have linked with your sexual orientation, it is likely that you will be able to make a claim of workplace harassment or discrimination. In addition to this, if you were fired shortly after experiencing harassment that related to your sexual orientation, you may have a reason to believe that the reason for your firing was due to your sexual orientation.
How can I prove the reason why I was fired?
The difficult aspect of sexual orientation discrimination, as well as other types of workplace discrimination, is the fact that it can be difficult to prove the reasons behind an employee’s or employer’s behavior. For example, an employer can fire an employee without giving any reason at all. However, at the same time, it would be unlawful for the employer to have fired the employee in question because of their sexual orientation.
In this way, as an employee that has reason to believe they have been discriminated against, it is important that you make sure to take note of any discriminatory behavior as evidence to strengthen the validity of the case.
If you believe that you were fired because of your sexual orientation in the state of California, it is important that you take action and stand up for your legal rights.