In states across the country, Federation members are working hard to advocate for statewide and local nondiscrimination laws that protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) workers.

Now here's a new resource to help advance fair treatment for LGBT individuals at work.

Our partners at Movement Advancement Project, the Center for American Progress, Freedom to Work, and the Human Rights Campaign have released a new policy report: A Broken Bargain: Unchecked Discrimination Against LGBT Workers. This report details the challenges faced by LGBT workers, offers solutions for fair treatment at work, and outlines policy recommendations to help level the playing field for LGBT workers.

Click here to download A Broken Bargain: Unchecked Discrimination Against LGBT Workers.

A Broken Bargain: Unchecked Discrimination Against LGBT Workers provides a look at the difficulties LGBT workers experience in finding and keeping good jobs, earning a living, and providing for themselves and their families.

LGBT workers often find it harder than non-LGBT workers to secure a good job.

• Research shows that people who have LGBT-related work or volunteer experience on their resume are less likely to be invited to job interviews than individuals with otherwise identical resumes.
• A study showed that 8 – 17% of LGB people and 13 – 47% of transgender people were unfairly fired or denied employment.

When an LGBT individual does secure a job, they may face workplace discrimination in the form of anti-gay slurs, jokes, and/or verbal harassment. Discrimination can also result in unfair negative performance evaluations, denied promotions, and unfair firing. LGB workers reported challenges at work because of their sexual orientation:

• 10 – 21% received a negative performance evaluation
• 11 – 28% were passed over for a promotion
• 9% lost a job in the past five years

These numbers increase for transgender workers and LGBT people of color.

Individuals who identify as LGBT are more likely to report low incomes, putting them at a higher risk of poverty than non-LGBT people.

• LGBT individuals are more likely to report incomes of less than $24,000 per year, and less likely to report incomes of more than $90,000 per year.
• Transgender workers face the largest income disparities, with 15% reporting household incomes under $10,000 per year, compared to just 4% of the population as a whole.

The lack of legal protections for LGBT workers not only impacts the workers but is a problem for their coworkers, their employers, and America’s economy. Research finds that workplaces that value LGBT workers see positive benefits such as:

• Attracting and retaining top talent
• Boosting productivity and results
• Spurring innovation and reaching new markets

A Broken Bargain: Unchecked Discrimination Against LGBT Workers also offers a number of recommendations for addressing the inequalities and discrimination that plague LGBT workers in our country. It suggests policy changes that the government and private employers should make to ensure that all people are treated fairly and equally in the workplace.

Because only 18 states and D.C. explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity/expression, we still have much work to do to ensure protections for all LGBT workers.

With 72% of Americans and 69% of small businesses supporting legislation protecting LGBT workers from employment discrimination — now is the time to enact local, state, and federal laws.

Click here to download A Broken Bargain: Unchecked Discrimination Against LGBT Workers.