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GOP Rep. Kevin Cramer Skeptical That LGBT Workplace Discrimination Exists

GOP Congressman Skeptical That LGBT Workplace Discrimination Exists
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A Republican congressman said he's not sure that workplace discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people exists -- because he's never gotten a phone call about it.

"I'm not even sure that this is a problem. I have to be honest, I don't get many, if any. I don't know that I've ever received a phone call in my office from somebody that says they've been discriminated against based on their sexual orientation," Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) told Bismarck station KFYR on Tuesday.

Cramer is a first-term member of Congress who is facing a challenge from Democrat George Sinner. On Monday, the White House announced officials would draft an executive order that would bar federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Cramer added that he believes the White House's move was meant for political gain, and companies should be left to set their own policies.

Studies have found that workplace discrimination is a persistent problem for many LGBT individuals. Roughly one in five LGBT adults surveyed by the Pew Research Center in 2013 said that they had been unfairly treated by an employer.

Ninety percent of transgender people say that they have faced harassment in the workplace because of their gender identity, according to one study. In the same poll, 26 percent of transgender Americans surveyed said that they had lost a job because of their gender identity.

In just one instance of discrimination that Cramer apparently didn't hear about, in 2010, coal miner Sam Hall filed a lawsuit against coal company Massey Energy, alleging that another miner spray-painted a picture of Hall engaging in a lewd act and attached a sign to his car accusing him of being a pedophile. He later left the mining industry.

The Senate has passed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act -- which would extend federal protections against workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity -- but it has yet to be taken up by the House. Other efforts, however, have been more successful.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said in 2012 that discrimination on the basis of gender identity violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. That opinion was delivered in response to the case of transgender woman Mia Macy, who alleged she was denied employment with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives because of her gender identity. Advocates have said that this decision could offer transgender individuals significantly greater protection against employment discrimination.

According to the Human Rights Campaign, 21 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws prohibiting employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, and 18 states and D.C. also bar discrimination based on gender identity.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misnamed the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as the "Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives."

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Before You Go

Gay Marriage In The United States
New York(01 of17)
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New York lawmakers legalized same-sex marriage on July 24, 2011, making it the largest state at the time to pass such legislation. (credit:Flickr: alh1)
Maryland(02 of17)
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Voters in Maryland approved marriage equality in the November 2012 election.Initially, the gay marriage bill was signed into law by Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) on March 1, 2012, but opponents gathered enough signatures to force the issue back onto the ballot. With the passing of marriage equality, same-sex marriage ceremonies began on Jan. 1, 2013. (credit:AP)
Iowa(03 of17)
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Iowa's Supreme Court ruled the state's gay marriage ban unconstitutional on April 3, 2009. (credit:Getty)
Maine(04 of17)
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Maine made history in the November 2012 election when it became the first state to pass marriage equality on the ballot. Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin said, "Voters in Maine came to the common-sense conclusion that all people deserve the ability to make loving, lifelong commitments through marriage."Just three years ago, a popular vote overturned legislation that would have legalized same-sex marriage in the state. (credit:AP)
Massachusetts(05 of17)
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Massachusetts became the first state in the nation to legalize same-sex marriage on May 17, 2004. The state's Supreme Court initially found the ban on gay marriage unconstitutional on Nov. 18, 2003. (credit:AP)
New Hampshire(06 of17)
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Same-sex couples were able to begin seeking marriage licenses on Jan. 1, 2010. (credit:Flickr: jimbowen0306)
Vermont(07 of17)
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Vermont, which invented civil unions, became the first state to legalize gay marriage through a legislature's vote -- overriding the governor's veto. Same-sex couples were able to begin marrying on Sept, 1, 2009. (credit:Flickr: Tony Fischer Photography)
Washington D.C.(08 of17)
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Gay couples were able to begin marrying in the nation's capital on March 9, 2010. (credit:Flickr: Vox Efx)
California(09 of17)
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The state initially began conducting gay marriages on June 16, 2008. On November 5, 2008, however, California voters passed Proposition 8, which amended the state's constitution to declare marriage as only between a man and a woman.On June 26, 2013, by a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court justices held in Hollingsworth v. Perry that the traditional marriage activists who put Proposition 8 on California ballots in 2008 did not have the constitutional authority, or standing, to defend the law in federal courts after the state refused to appeal its loss at trial, opening the door for marriages to resume in the state. (credit:AP)
Washington(10 of17)
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On February 13, 2012, Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) signed a law allowing same-sex marriage ceremonies to begin on June 7, 2012. The process was delayed by gay marriage opponents who gathered enough signatures to put the issue up to a state vote in November 2012.Gay marriage passed on November 7, 2012. The official determination for Washington did not come until one day after the election because of the state's mail-in voting system. (credit:AP)
Rhode Island(11 of17)
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Gay marriage came to Rhode Island when Governor Lincoln Chafee signed the marriage equality bill into law on May 2, 2013. (credit:AP)
Delaware(12 of17)
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Delaware obtained gay marriage when Governor Jack Markell signed the marriage equality bill it into law on May 7, 2013. (credit:Getty)
Minnesota(13 of17)
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Minnesota same-sex couples achieved marriage equality when Gov. Mark Dayton signed the legislation into law on May 14, 2013. (credit:AP)
New Jersey(14 of17)
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Newark Mayor Cory Booker began marrying same-sex couples at City Hall at 12:01 a.m. on Oct. 21, 2013. (credit:AP)
Hawaii(15 of17)
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Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed same-sex marriage into law on Nov. 13, 2013, making it the 15th state to pass such legislation.
Illinois(16 of17)
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Illinois became the 16th state to legalize gay marriage, with the House having passed the bill on Nov. 5. and Gov. Pat Quinn signing the legislation on Nov. 20. (credit:AP)
New Mexico(17 of17)
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On Dec. 19, the New Mexico Supreme Court unanimously ruled that same-sex marriage rights are protected under the Constitution. (credit:Robert Alexander via Getty Images)
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