NEWS RELEASE: BOLI finds substantial evidence of discrimination against same-sex couple in Portland taxi complaint

[Burr, Charlie]

[cid:image001.gif at 01CF3792.3BEE2750]

Press Release
For Immediate Release
March 4, 2014
CONTACT: Charlie Burr, (971) 673-0788

BOLI finds substantial evidence of discrimination against same-sex couple in Portland taxi complaint
Complaint will now move into conciliation to determine whether settlement can be reached

Portland, OR-A Portland taxi cab driver violated the civil rights of a same-sex couple when the driver discontinued the ride, leaving the passengers on the shoulder of I-84, a Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) investigation has found.

The substantial evidence determination finds that the driver Ahmed Egal operated the taxi cab as an unincorporated sole proprietorship when he stopped service based on the couple's sexual orientation.

The couple filed the complaint under the Oregon Equality Act of 2007, a law that protects the rights of gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender Oregonians in employment, housing and public places.

Under Oregon law, Oregonians may not be denied service based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The law provides an exemption for religious organizations and schools, but does not allow private business owners to discriminate based on sexual orientation, just as they cannot legally deny service based on race, sex, age, disability or religion.

With the substantial evidence determination, the complaint now moves to BOLI's Administrative Prosecution Unit, responsible for processing the contested civil rights division cases. The bureau will now decide whether to bring formal charges pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act (APA) and BOLI contested case hearing rules. Parties have been unable to reach a settlement at this stage of the process.

Oregon businesses seeking guidance on the Equality Act or other civil rights laws can contact BOLI's technical assistance for employers program at (971) 673-0824.

Public accommodations complaints under the equality act are rare. In every year since the law's passage, public accommodations complaints based on sexual orientation and gender identity have represented less than one percent of all discrimination complaints received by the agency.

BOLI protects all Oregonians from unlawful discrimination, investigating allegations of civil rights violations in workplaces, career schools, housing and public accommodations.

Copies of the complaints are available upon request. For more information about BOLI's efforts to protect workplaces and support Oregon employers, visit http://www.oregon.gov/BOLI.

###


Charlie Burr
Communications Director
Bureau of Labor and Industries
800 NE Oregon St., Ste. 1045
Portland, OR 97232-2180
(971) 673-0788 wk.
(503) 913-5407 cell.

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/boli_media/attachments/20140304/d0704831/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.gif
Type: image/gif
Size: 5043 bytes
Desc: image001.gif
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/boli_media/attachments/20140304/d0704831/attachment.gif>