Bias Bill Raises Concern About

Bias Bill Raises Concern About Gender Identity

In his article Bias Bill Raises Concerns about Gender Identity, Mark Schoeff Jr. outlines a federal bill that would add a new layer of protection for workers, based on sexual orientation or gender perception.

The article outlines the views of the bill's proponents and opponents. It is interesting to note, however, that the piece outlines clear business arguments of the opponents, but places the position of the proponents as being more ethical in nature. That the two sides of this debate are approaching the issue from completely different perspectives is an aspect of the story that could have received more attention. For one, this is not typically the case. But also, it would have been interesting to hear the ethical arguments of the opponents, and the practical arguments of the proponents. There is always a subtext to this type of argument, particularly with respect to the ethics of opposition to a bill such as this. A greater exploration of that subtext would have been ideal. For managers, this subtext can have significant impacts on their operations, with respect to the views and attitudes of customers, staff and senior management.

The piece provides little in the way of background to the issue. Some of the key terms of poorly defined. Moreover there is little explanation of why this issue is considered to be important by either side. However, Schoeff does provide a strong overview of the current situation regarding this bill. He outlines that there are two sides and presents some of the arguments for each. It is easy to understand the implications of the bill from a managerial perspective, as to how it will affect managers should it pass.