نعم. كانت ولاية فيرمونت من أوائل الولايات التي أقرّت قانونًا شاملًا على مستوى الولاية يحظر التمييز على أساس التوجه الجنسي في عام ١٩٩٢ (انظر، على سبيل المثال، 21 VSA § 495 (التوظيف)). يُعرَّف "التوجه الجنسي" بأنه "المثلية الجنسية للإناث أو الذكور، أو المغايرة الجنسية أو ثنائية الجنس (1 VSA § 143).

في مايو 2007، أصبحت فيرمونت ثالث ولاية في نيو إنجلاند تحظر صراحةً التمييز على أساس الهوية الجنسية (القانون العام رقم 41، قانون يتعلق بحظر التمييز على أساس الهوية الجنسية، الدورة التشريعية 2007-2008، الدورة التنظيمية (فيرمونت 2007)). يُعرّف القانون الهوية الجنسية بأنها "الهوية الجنسية الفعلية أو المُتصوَّرة للفرد، أو الخصائص المرتبطة بالجنس والمرتبطة جوهريًا بجنس الفرد أو هويته الجنسية، بغض النظر عن جنسه المُحدَّد عند الولادة" (1 VSA § 144).

فيما يتعلق بالتوجه الجنسي، ربما. مع أن قوانين مكافحة التمييز نفسها لا تُميّز بين التوجه الجنسي الفعلي والمُتصوّر، فإن الاستبيان الذي تستخدمه وحدة الحقوق المدنية التابعة لمكتب النائب العام يسمح للأشخاص بالشكوى من التمييز على أساس كلٍّ من التوجه الجنسي والمُتصوّر. مع ذلك، لا تُميّز لجنة حقوق الإنسان هذا التمييز في نموذج شكاوى التوظيف الخاص بها. لا توجد سوابق قضائية بهذا الشأن. (ملاحظة: قانون التحرش المدرسي، الذي يُناقش أدناه في...) حقوق الطلاب ينص هذا القسم صراحةً على حماية الطلاب وأفراد أسرهم ممن يُعتبرون مثليين أو مثليات أو مزدوجي الميول الجنسية. ينطبق قانون جرائم الكراهية، الذي سنناقشه لاحقًا، أيضًا على التوجه الجنسي والهوية الجندرية الفعليين أو المفترضين.

أما فيما يتعلق بالهوية الجنسية، وكما ذكرنا سابقًا، تُعرَّف الهوية الجنسية بأنها "الهوية الجنسية الفعلية أو المُتصوَّرة". ويشمل هذا المصطلح التمييز القائم على الإدراك.

To whom does the non-discrimination law apply and what does it forbid?

The non-discrimination law prohibits any employer, employment agency or labor organization from discriminating against any individual because of his or her sexual orientation or gender identity (21 V.S.A. § 495 (a)(1)). This applies to both private and government employers and covers most significant job actions, such as hiring, firing, failure to promote, demotion, excessive discipline, harassment and different treatment of the employee and similarly situated co-workers (21 V.S.A. § 495 (a); § 495d(1) (definition of employer)).

In addition, employment agencies may not participate in discrimination by refusing to classify or refer their customers for employment or otherwise discriminate because of sexual orientation or gender identity.  Unions may not deny union membership or otherwise discriminate against its members because of sexual orientation or gender identity (21 V.S.A. § 495 (a)(4)).

The law also forbids these entities from advertising in such a way as to restrict employment or membership because of sexual orientation or gender identity (21 V.S.A. § 495 (a)(2)).

No. As broad as the law is, there are exceptions to its application.

• An employer, agency or labor organization may defend against a discrimination claim by arguing that a “bona fide occupational qualification” of the particular job to have a non-LGBT employee fill it (21 V.S.A. § 495(a)). There are no general occupational exemptions from the reach of the non-discrimination law, however, and this defense is very rarely successful.
• As to sexual orientation and gender identity, religious organizations – and charitable or educational organizations operated, supervised or controlled by a religious organization – are exempt from the law to the extent that they give a “preference to persons of the same religion or denomination” or take “any action with respect to matters of which is calculated by the organization to promote the religious principles for which it is established or maintained (21 V.S.A. § 495(e)). This exemption, however, is not a carte blanche for an employer to use his or her religious beliefs as a justification for discriminating against persons because of their sexual orientation or actual or perceived gender identity.

Yes. Sexual harassment is specifically prohibited under the law. Vermont law defines sexual harassment as a form of sex discrimination that means unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when:

• submission to that conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of employment; or
• submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as a component of the basis for employment decisions affecting that individual; or
• the conduct has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with an individual’s work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment (21 V.S.A. § 495d (13)).

Because sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination, a claim of harassment can be pursued in the same ways as other discrimination claims, as discussed below.

In addition to prohibiting sexual harassment, Vermont law requires all employers, employment agencies and labor organizations to ensure a workplace free of sexual harassment by adopting a policy against sexual harassment, posting a notice outlining that policy, and providing all employees an individual written copy of the policy (21 V.S.A. § 495h).

It is as unlawful to sexually harass a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender person as it is to harass anyone else. Some harassment is specifically anti-gay and may be more fairly characterized as harassment on the basis of sexual orientation. Other harassment is because of the person’s actual or perceived gender identity and may be characterized as harassment on the basis of gender identity.  Still other harassment is sexual in nature and more appropriately categorized as sexual harassment.  All these types of harassment can happen to the same person, and all are forbidden under Vermont state law.

Both the United States Supreme Court and several state courts have found same-sex sexual harassment to violate sexual harassment laws (compare Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore Services, 523 U.S. 75, 118 S.Ct. 998 (1998) (man can sue for sexual harassment by other men under federal sexual harassment laws)).