WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) - June is Pride Month, which promotes visibility and equality for the LGBTQ+ community.
While this is a month of celebration for the community, it's also a time to highlight its hardships.
One of them can be discrimination in the workplace.
Twenty-two percent of LGTBQ+ workers were not paid or promoted at the same rate as their colleagues in 2017, according to the National LGBTQ Workers Center.
Employers with 15 or more employees are prohibited by Title VII of The Civil Rights Act of 1964 from discriminating on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin, or religion. Last summer, the Supreme Court decided that gay and transgender people are protected under that law too.
The court decided that discriminating against gay and transgender workers was inherently based on their sex and consequently illegal.
Sharon Brett, the legal director of the Kansas ACLU, says the cases can be difficult to prove, but some actions point to the idea that discrimination may be taking place.
"Pay disparities are something that evidence can point to," says Brett. "If there is significant evidence showing, all else being equal, that individuals in a workplace who identify as lesbian or gay or who identify as transgender receive less pay than their counterparts who are heterosexual or cisgender, that could amount to a case of discrimination."
If you feel that you have experienced discrimination at work, you can reach out to the EEOC or the ACLU.
If you have question and would like to Know Your Rights, email [email protected]. We'll take your questions to the experts.