In Ohio, Shari Hutchinson, a lesbian and account clerk for the Child Support Enforcement Agency, received a $100,000 award after she settled with her employer in a discrimination lawsuit.
Hutchinson explains that upon her hire, the company issued protocols for the workplace which included fair treatment of all employees, regardless of sexual orientation, Washington Blade explains.
According to Freedom to Work, Hutchinson had worked in the private sector management industry for approximately 20 years and when coworkers of CSEA found out she was a lesbian, word spread and she claims promotions were passed over her in favor of less qualified employees.
“After continuously losing promotions when I had scored the highest on the County’s qualifying exam, and watching the jobs go instead to people who had failed the tests or had not even completed the application, I learned there was a glass ceiling for a lesbian woman like me,” Hutchinson revealed in a statement.
The Equal Opportunity Employment Act mandates that all workers have the same rights to benefits, promotions and treatment. A company that fails to treat its employees equally may expose itself to a lawsuit and file for an employment practices insurance claim.
