Have you been the victim of discrimination?

This is an article that I published as a journalist for "The Examiner".  It wasn't popular, but it is very much relevant!

A couple of years ago, I wrote an article entitled, “Is Corporate America REALLY ready for the LGBT”.  At the time that the article ran, I sincerely hoped that the corporate landscape had indeed changed for the better when addressing the issues and concerns of the members of their staff that belong to the LGBT community.  More and more corporations are adopting philosophies that include members of this community as well as other minority groups that make up our society.  That, in and of itself, is a good thing.  It paints the image of the landscape of Corporate America that realizes that our culture is comprised of people coming from a diverse background.  We do not all share the same beliefs, race, background or religious affiliation…nor do we all share the same sexual orientation.

But the more things change, the more they stay the same.  Unfortunately, there are still people in positions of authority that don’t subscribe to the ideology of embracing the differences that make our nation what it is.  There are people that still cling to the fact that certain members of our community are less deserving of equal and fair treatment because of nothing more than the color of their skin.  In fact, those very people honestly believe that they have the right to subject people that are not like them to treatment that would be best described as harassment.

I’ve heard horror stories about the intolerable boss who doesn’t acknowledge you for the contributions and accomplishments that you’ve brought to your team.  I’ve heard them, and tried hard not to believe them…until they hit close to home.  What I’ve come to realize is that the same bosses and supervisors that make work life questionable for some, for the most part do it knowingly.  Discriminatory behavior displayed by anyone promotes an atmosphere of intolerance and translates to a “hostile work environment”; yet many people display questionable conduct in the name of their personal beliefs which often run counter to most company credos which often expound upon the belief of inclusiveness.

Those same people that promote a “hostile work environment” oftentimes do so in the name of their religion, ignorance or lack of social education.  People that are not like them are deemed unworthy of proper recognition, promotion and fair career advancement, and that’s unfortunate.  People that display these types of behaviors have also been doing it for a lot longer than we care to acknowledge, and as a result, have become quite proficient at doing so.  They know what to say as well as what not to say, and they also know when to pull the behaviors back before crossing that proverbial line.  They know that most people that are the victims of discriminatory actions have recourse if they can somehow prove that they have been victimized to begin with.  And let’s face it; the ability to be able to prove that you were the victim is difficult, first off because you don’t WANT to be a victim.  You don’t want to believe that your boss has an ax to grind because of what you represent to them.  You may chalk it up to them just having a bad day…and that would be okay except I’ve always held true to the thought, “Why do I have to have a bad day because YOU are having a bad day?”

The other piece of the puzzle is that you don’t want to make a bad situation worse because we all know that we need our jobs.  We need to make money to survive.  And even though we can all admit that the economy has gotten better, it’s still not where it needs to be and a decent job is still on the difficult side of being easy to come by.

You don’t want to be the center of an investigation that may be resolved with minor coaching or even worse, with you being labeled as the trouble maker.  It happens.  And what you thought would’ve made a situation better only succeeded in making it worse.

Still, the good news is that people that are in positions where they are at the mercy of a supervisor that has questionable intentions don’t have to remain there.  It takes time to get out of it, and it begins with you.  It isn’t a hopeless cause:

·         Keep a paper trail:  If you believe that you are being victimized, note everything that has happened.  Keep every email and keep track of every “coaching” session.  If you are being victimized, then you may very well be the only one going to these undo coaching sessions.  The sessions are needed to show that you are indeed a problem…whether they are legitimate or not.  So keep them in a folder along with all of the associated paperwork.

·         Talk to your constituents.  Find out a little bit more about the background of your boss from those that have worked with him/her longer than you.  Has this person demonstrated this type of conduct before?

·         Be observant and be honest.  Know your environment.  Do you deserve the coaching session or write ups?  Are the supervisor’s behaviors legitimate?  Do they have merit?  Are the disciplinary actions warranted?

Discriminatory behavior is illegal in this country, however discrimination based on sexual orientation is specific towards that corporations individual policies; and because of that, it makes it that much harder to prove.  Don’t make yourself a target.  Do your job and do it well and keep it moving forward!

The Numbers:

(1) The Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy aggregated a number of surveys to determine the extent to which gay and transgender workers experience discrimination and harassment in the workplace. Their findings illustrate that discrimination and harassment are pervasive:

• Fifteen percent to 43 percent of gay and transgender workers have experienced some form of discrimination on the job.
• Eight percent to 17 percent of gay and transgender workers report being passed over for a job or fired because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
• Ten percent to 28 percent received a negative performance evaluation or were passed over for a promotion because they were gay or transgender.
• Seven percent to 41 percent of gay and transgender workers were verbally or physically abused or had their workplace vandalized.

Straight coworkers also attest to the presence of discrimination and harassment against LGBT workers. The Williams Institute’s report found that 12 percent to 30 percent of straight workers witnessed discrimination in the workforce based on sexual orientation.

REFERENCES:

Center for American Progress

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2011/06/workplace_discrimination.html

J.L. Whitehead

Review of "Somebody Else's Vows" by Norlita Brown

In some social circles, the ideology of monogamy and faithfulness is a joke.  It’s an idea that seems to have fallen by the way of the milkman, penny candy and gasoline when it was less than a dollar per gallon.  We’re living in an age where people find it easier to have the benefits of marriage for as long as they want, and then when the partner does something that is deemed unforgivable, they simply pack up their bags and leave, looking for the next good thing.  The problem with that is that the individual can spend the rest of their lives looking for the next good thing and it may never show up.

            There is a portion of our society that also believes that the sanctity of marriage is serious…that vows made before family, friends and God is important and they are to be honored at all costs.  But simply because you’ve made the vows to honor, love, cherish, obey and protect through sickness and health, does it mean that you’ll never find anyone else attractive?  Does it mean that the only person that you are drawn to is the person that you’ve sworn to love until death do you part?

            Norlita Brown’s Somebody Else’s Vows tells the story of Alyssa Robertson; a woman who is by all accounts happily married and yet finds herself helplessly drawn to a man by the name of Ahmad.  What takes place within the pages of this work is a very intense emotional affair that travels much like a roller coaster at Six Flaggs.  There is a push/pull interaction between Alyssa and Ahmad that the reader can’t help but get drawn into.

            At times, you wonder why Alyssa just doesn’t make her marriage to her husband work rather than focus on a man that she by all accounts can’t have.  You are left to question the main character’s content of character as she propels herself into a relationship that seems doomed from the start.  You may also wonder why a man of high moral standard and sound sensibility would want to be with a woman he cannot truly possess.  These questions are addressed and presumably answered within the pages of Somebody Else’s Vows.

            Norlita Brown displays a good writing style with a flair for character descriptives.  She paints vivid emotional pictures with words even though sometimes you may question what comes out on canvas.  The one thing that can be said about this work is that I will always remember it.  The supporting character of “Tee” resonates with me as the voice of reason…keeping it real at all costs.  When you get to page 181, you will see what I mean.

            There are points in the synopsis that got lost within the pages of the book, one of which was the character of Ahmad being a devout Muslim and not wanting to contribute to Alyssa breaking her marriage vows.  The ironic part about this is that his religious affiliation is not mentioned within the pages so you are left wondering why this was ever brought up in the synopsis.

            Alyssa may come off at times like a selfish, self-absorbed prima donna who is only looking out for herself, but it’s because of that characteristic that I will never forget her.  The moral of the story may be,” how does one negotiate the waters of someone that you find attractive after you’ve pledged your love to someone else”.  Is it wrong to find someone attractive after you’ve wed?  The answer of course is “no”.  It’s what you do with that attraction that becomes the issue.

            Still, there is one line that rings true for me in this work.  It is found on page 75.  “Infidelity is not just something that jumps out of nowhere.  Neither does it sneak up on you like a thief in the night”.  If infidelity strikes your marriage, nine times out of ten, something was out of kilter long before the third party entered.

To order "Somebody Else's Vow", go to the following web address:

www.brownessence.com

J.L. Whitehead