My supervisor seemed to have a change of heart towards me after he found out about my sexual orientation. Before he knew it, work was fine. After the topic came up, he stopped talking to me and answering my questions about work, making it harder for me to do my job. He also seems put off by my presence and tries to avoid me at work. Now I’m worried because my job performance might slip and they could use that as a reason to fire me. Can I hire a discrimination lawyer and sue for discrimination based on my sexual orientation?
Sexual orientation is a legally protected characteristic. This means your employer cannot single you out and treat you poorly just because of your sexual orientation. You would probably have an easier time proving a discrimination claim against your boss if he made critical/negative/derogatory comments about your sexual orientation, but patterns of negative treatment can be evidence as well. If you are still employed, we usually recommend filing a written complaint with the company about illegal discrimination so they have a chance to address the problem. Give us a call so one of our professional discrimination lawyers can help you with how to protect yourself before you potentially get terminated.