Even today, Washingtonians can be fired from their job or evicted from their apartment based solely on their sexual orientation. As polls and the non-discrimination policies of major Washington companies show, a vast majority of our neighbors and people all across the country agree that this is wrong. Equality is a basic right. Individuals should not be afraid of losing their job or their home because of who they are.

The state already recognizes this in regards to race, religion, marital status, gender, age, disability, and other factors. Lesbians and gay men have no other legal protections in many areas in Washington. Unless this statewide legislation is passed, it will still be legal to deny someone credit, housing, or employment based on sexual orientation. Private businesses, cities, and towns across the state have anti-discrimination policies based on sexual orientation.

The absence of sexual orientation in our state anti-discrimination laws is a glaring omission that effectively legitimizes homophobia in employment and housing practices. Seven cities and 3 counties in Washington, as well as 15 other states and the District of Columbia, have enacted non-discrimination policies in regards to sexual orientation.

The Bill adds sexual orientation to the Human Rights Commission's jurisdiction. The Human Rights Commission is responsible for enforcing the state's anti-discrimination laws. Currently, the Washington State Human Rights Commission is charged with "prevention of discrimination in employment, in credit and insurance transactions, in place of public resort, accommodation, or amusement, and in real property transactions because of race, creed, color, national origin, families with children, sex, marital status, age, or the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a disabled person."

The Bill adds sexual orientation to this list, and allows the Human Rights Commission to investigate claims of discriminatory practices based on sexual orientation. The Legislature first considered anti-discrimination legislation for LGBT individuals in 1976, and at various times since. Similar legislation has failed in committee. Because there is no federal law that prevents a person from being fired or otherwise discriminated against based on sexual orientation, state and local governments must guarantee equal protection under the law. Recognizing that gays and lesbians have the basic right to be equal participants in their communities and work environments, many businesses and cities have adopted anti-discrimination policies. However, the state of Washington has not. Some Washington-based private companies have internal policies to prohibit employment discrimination. The cities of Seattle, Tacoma, Des Moines, Olympia, Pullman, and Vancouver have non-discrimination policies; so do Clallam, Clark, and King Counties. But without a specific statewide policy to protect people against discriminatory practices, businesses can fire employees or deny them access to housing and hotels based solely on sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation.

For more information on discrimination against LGBT people in Washington State, see the ERW website's Discrimination page, which includes additional arguments about why discrimination is wrong, harmful, and needs to be stopped. You can also look up whether your Representative or Senator voted in 2005 in favor of Anti-Discrimination legislation here.