Who do i contact about discrimination?

Question

I answered an ad in the local paper and went in for an interview.spoke briefly with a woman who calls herself the "office manager" and she was talking about the job and what it consists of and then showed me the room where i would be if chosen for the job..then she proceeded to walk into another room and told me im not sure if i would fit in the room she showed me because of my size . I was stunned...she said i dont know how to say this but your big and i dont think you could move around in there. I cant let this go..I need help

Answer 1

This does not sound like discrimination to me. First of all, physical size is not a protected class under the laws that prohibit discrimination. Those classes include: race, ethnicity, religion, sex, age and disability. Now, some have attempted to put obesity (and subsequent physical size) into the disability category, but to date, obesity has not been ruled a disability to the standard of law. The final consideration is what is known as "bona fide occupational qualifications." That means that even IF you are a member of a protected class, (including having a particular disability) you are NOT discriminated against if you are unable to perform any function of the job (with reasonable accommodation) that is a bona fide component of the job. This is why, for example, owners of restaurants that serve Chinese food are not required to hire non-Asians as servers, AS LONG AS all servers are Asians and it "fits" with the motif, etc. of the restaurant.

You can contact your local Human Relations Commission (state level) or EEOC office (federal) and talk with an intake counselor just to make sure, but it might just make you more upset.

Answer 2

Laws in the United States prohibit discrimination based on race, color, creed, national origin, gender, etc.

If you are obese, you may be protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act, which would require an employer to make "reasonable accommodations" for you.

The government agency which enforces such laws is the United States Department of Labor.

Answer 3

EEOC website; Labor relations board.