Gay and Lesbian Educators Remain Vulnerable to Bias
By Rita Zeidner
The U.S. Supreme Court’s June decision striking down a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act DOMA promises many federal benefits to married gay and lesbian couples. But the landmark ruling does little to ensure a nondiscriminatory workplace for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender educators.Nearly one out of three Americans lives in jurisdictions where same-sex marriage is legal. But many of the married gay and lesbian educators who live in states that are not gay-friendly are unlikely to take full advantage of their newly affirmed rights, including lower federal taxes. That’s because the sad reality in many schools is that an educator can still be fired once word gets out that they’re gay.
The Supreme Court’s ruling in Windsor v. U.S. nixed the most damning part of DOMA—the provision that limited the federal definition of marriage to “only a legal union between one man and one woman.” But there is still no federal law guaranteeing GLBT employees the same kind of workplace protections extended to other vulnerable workers.
In the past, we could count on Congress to ensure workplace protections by passing laws like Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and the Age Discrimination Act. That’s no longer
Millions of youngsters are heading back to school eager to start a new academic year. Many will thrive but too many will succumb to the epidemic of boredom threatening students in schools throughout our country. Boredom in schools – the opposite of the behavioral, cognitive and relational engagement that predicts long-term educational persistence and success, is surely behind the steady decline of