Congress has enacted numerous federal statutes and the Virginia legislature has passed similar state laws, designed to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and designed to protect certain behavior so that such behavior, when engaged in, cannot form the basis of an adverse employment action (i.e., a failure to hire or promote, demotion or termination).
Under various state and federal laws, employers are prohibited from discriminating against individuals on the basis of:
Employers may not take any steps that are “retaliatory” against an employee for alleging discrimination by the employer. Because an employer can be held liable under each applicable statute, it is important to know which law protects which protected class from discrimination.
The primary state statute that prohibits discrimination in employment is the Virginia Human Rights Act (VHRA). The VHRA was amended in 2020 by the Virginia Values Act. The two acts prohibit employment discrimination based on: