Victim of Discrimination?

Discrimination can happen to anyone, although it is more likely to happen to women, people of color, religious minorities, gays and lesbians, the overweight, the disabled and anyone over the age of 40, including the elderly.  Everyone has a right to be free from discrimination, but the law only protects against discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, physical or mental disability. Discrimination happens on the job, when buying a house or car, when applying for credit and when renting an apartment.  In short, it happens all the time.

The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution offers a guarantee of "equal protection of the laws," although this has not always been applied to all groups.  For examples, gays and lesbians still have no federal right to marry.   The Civil Rights Act of 1964 enshrined further discrimination protections and is the law that bars discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex and religion.  The Fair Housing Act was enacted to protect discrimination in obtaining housing.

Further, affirmative action programs have been implemented as a way to compensate for past discrimination against minority groups.  In recent years, however, there has been a push to phase out these kinds of programs. 

If you have been the victim of discrimination in the workplace, contact the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) to file a complaint.  If you have been a victim of discrimination with regard to housing, contact the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.   If you have been the victim of any other kind of discrimination, contact an attorney for help.