Williams Institute Research Director Lee
Badgett testifies before United States Congress
Professor Lee Badgett, Research Director at the Williams Institute, UCLA
School of Law, testified before Congress today that the passage of HR
2015, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), a federal
nondiscrimination law including sexual orientation and gender identity,
would benefit both LGBT people and employers.
Badgett summarized findings from a recent Williams Institute study, Bias
in the Workplace, which reviews 50 studies over the last decade and
demonstrates a disturbing and consistent pattern: sexual orientation-based
and gender identity discrimination is a common occurrence in many
workplaces across the country.
In her testimony before the House Committee on Education and Labor
(Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions), Badgett stated
that, “Each survey documents numerous experiences of being fired, being
denied a job, or some other form of unequal treatment in the workforce
that stemmed from these individuals’ sexual orientation or gender
identity.”
Badgett’s testimony cited a study showing that LGBT people who work in
companies with a nondiscrimination law are more likely to be out with
regard to their sexual orientation or gender identity. Research shows that
coming out yields less conflict between work and personal life, greater
job satisfaction, more self-esteem, and better physical health.
In outlawing discrimination in hiring and other employment decisions based
on sexual orientation and gender identity, ENDA would make it easier for
LGBT people to be open about their lives, benefiting both employees and
employers alike. As Badgett pointed out, “Discrimination hurts, but
nondiscrimination laws appear to help.”
Professor Badgett, who is also the director of the Center for Public
Policy and Administration at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has
conducted extensive research on economic and policy issues related to
sexual orientation, and has published two books and numerous studies on
this topic, including Bias in the Workplace, which was published in June.
The Williams Institute is a national think tank dedicated to sexual
orientation law and public policy. It advances law and public policy
through rigorous and independent research and scholarship.
