Discrimination and Sexual Orientation

By

Mario Satterthwaite

11/26/2013

Discrimination is the prejudicial and/or distinguishing treatment of an individual based on their actual or perceived membership in a certain group or category, "in a way that is worse than the way people are usually treated. It involves the group's initial reaction or interaction, influencing the individual's actual behavior towards the group or the group leader, restricting members of one group from opportunities or privileges that are available to another group, leading to the exclusion of the individual or entities based on logical or irrational decision making.
Discriminatory traditions, policies, ideas, practices, and laws exist in many countries and institutions in every part of the world, even in ones where discrimination is generally looked down upon. In some places, controversial attempts such as quotas or affirmative action have been used to benefit those believed to be current or past victims of discrimination but have sometimes been called reverse discrimination themselves.

Inequality in the workplace is any form of bias or discrimination that takes place in a work environment and is established, promoted, or allowed to persist by the workplace authority. It is common for a workplace to have inequalities based on gender, race, and social class. There is usually a hierarchy that exists in the workplace in which managers, leaders and executives are paid higher wages and have more authority and prestige than those below them.
One’s sexual orientation is a “predilection for homosexuality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality”. Like most minority groups, homosexuals and bisexuals are not immune to prejudice and discrimination from the majority group. They may experience hatred from others because of their sexual preferences; a term for such hatred based upon one’s sexual