Colorado Bars Sexual Orientation Discrimination

August 22, 2007 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - A recently enacted law bans Colorado employers from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or religion, according to a firm that practices workplace law.

According to law firm Jackson Lewis , the Colorado’s Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA) is different from other anti-discrimination laws that apply to employers with 15 or more employees.  

The amendment to CADA went into effect on August 8 and makes it illegal for employers to “refuse to hire, to discharge, to promote or to demote, to harass during the course of employment, or to discriminate in matters of compensation against any person otherwise qualified because of” such person’s sexual orientation or religion.

The amendment broadly defines “sexual orientation” as “a person’s orientation toward heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, or transgender status or an employer’s perception.

According to the firm, this makes Colorado the twentieth state to ban employment discrimination based upon sexual orientation, and the twelfth state to codify gender identity as a potential basis for workplace discrimination.

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