Moricz is a plaintiff in a lawsuit filed against the state of Florida challenging the “Parental Rights in Education” act, notoriously known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill (the “Bill”), which was passed a couple of months before his graduation. As a student activist for LGBTQ rights, he quickly became one of the Bill’s most prominent public opponents, immediately organizing a walkout at Pine View as well as a rally in Sarasota to protest the Bill’s dangerous implications for silencing and suppressing LGBTQ students’ identities in schools.
The Most Discriminatory Laws You’ve Never Heard Of
The Supreme Court recently decided in favor of same-sex marriage in the long awaited case of Obergefell v. Hodges. As a supporter of LGBT rights, this decision makes me uneasy. I worry this decision will be seen as the end of the gay rights movement. Mission accomplished, time to go home. The gay rights movement has been so focused on marriage rights that other discriminatory laws have been overlooked or ignored. My hope is that instead, the decision will be a stepping stone towards eradicating these laws across the nation.
The Employment Language Fairness Act: A Law Today That Can Bring Progress Tomorrow
Written by Nick Stratouly
Introduction
“How are you?” asked one worker.
“I’m very well; you?” responded the other.
“Very good, very good, thanks.”
Many of us overlook the common conversations that we engage in every day in the workplace. The workplace, while possibly not as enjoyably social as the local bar or restaurant, is a very important social setting for most employees. The cooperative workplace of today’s economy simply could not function if speech were quelled or prohibited.
Elimination of the Locker Room Closet: Analysis of Legal Avenues Available to Gay Athletes
“I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay,” announced Jason Collins in a May 2013 interview with Sports Illustrated. Collins made history when he became the first active player to reveal his sexuality to the public, making him a modern day pioneer for LGBT athletes. On February 23, 2014, Collins initially signed a ten-game contract, which became a season-long contract with the Brooklyn Nets, making him the first openly gay player to sign with a team in the NBA and to play professionally. Although there are gay players who have revealed their sexual orientation after retirement, such as John Amaechi and Esera Tuaolo, Jason Collins is the first gay player to announce his sexual orientation while active. Two factors that influence gay athletes’ hesitation to disclose their sexual orientations are apparent: (1) the hyper-masculine culture of sports that is inhospitable to these players, and (2) the lack of knowledge about legal recourse available to gay athletes who face discrimination.
The Role of Supervisors in Employment Discrimination
Written by Ian Hayes
Today, a woman may find herself in a situation where she was fired based on gender but has no legal remedy for this discrimination. Imagine the following hypothetical. A woman works under a supervisor who has repeatedly made it clear that he resents women who work for the employer because of his perception that they get pregnant at a moment’s notice and leave a hole in the workforce. Part of the supervisor’s job is to write evaluations for everyone he supervises and he writes several evaluations for the woman worker alleging that she has a poor attendance record. The supervisor does not report similar attendance concerns about male workers to his boss. A decision-maker in a managerial role, who does not know the female worker, reads the supervisor’s written evaluation. Even though the decision-maker does not have the discriminatory intent of the supervisor, he decides to terminate the worker based on the supervisor’s evaluation. Workers cannot sue their employer for such discrimination in all jurisdictions and employment discrimination law should be adjusted to make relief available for all workers who suffer such discrimination.