Question

The 14th Amendment and civil rights legislation such as the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibit discrimination against certain demographic groups, but only if that group is recognized as a "protected class." Currently, federal law only recognizes race, ethnicity, religion, and gender as protected classes. In other words, it is legal under federal law to discriminate against other demographic groups such as level of wealth, marital status, or sexual orientation.

Should federal law recognize other demographic groups as protected classes? If so, how do we determine what should/should not be a legally protected class?

Answer 1

In my opinion the federal law should take into account other demographic groups such as Marital status, family status, status of wealth. These are some groups that in the real-world face issues.

Even though we live in a country that is liberal in thoughts people that belong to the groups mentioned above face severe discrimination at work place, within the community. People who fall in the lower category of income find it difficult to get jobs or promotions. Children and women who belong to families that are single parent or where couples co parent or are separated, children are bullied at school and among their groups. The LGBTQ community even after legalization, still faces discrimination. In practice creating classes such that everyone is protected against discrimination is difficult as someone or the other will always be left out.

The already existing and these new classes already cover up major aspect of human life and community and hence discrimination on any basis to any from of human life should not be acceptable.