Rep. Jim Himes, a Greenwich Democrat, recently joined 150 other Congressmen to reintroduce an employment protection act for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) community.
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act, first introduced in 1974, would make it illegal for companies to discriminate against employees based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. No similar law exists at the federal level.
“Not only is protecting LGBT people from discrimination the right thing to do morally, it is also good for our economy,” Himes said in a press release. “America”™s businesses are at their best when they hire the brightest and most talented workers, and it simply doesn’t make sense to overlook someone because of something that has nothing to do with their ability to do their job.”
Himes says 47 percent of people who are gay and 90 percent those who are transgender report being discriminated against in the workplace.
