Seth Kirby
The Olympian's Diversity Panel
The Olympian"First, the LGBT community needs basic civil rights. Washington state has come a long way in making sure people are protected from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. But that hasn't always been true.
The Washington state Supreme Court case of Gaylord v. Tacoma School District 10 (1977) comes to mind. In Gaylord, the state Supreme Court upheld a school's decision to fire a teacher because he was gay.
Many people are surprised to learn that I could be turned away from a hotel or fired from a job in 31 states simply because I am transgender or perceived as gay. Last year, Congress considered the Employment Non- Discrimination Act. ENDA aims to protect people from sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination at the federal level."
