Is being a Black person and being Gay a problem in corporate America? A new reality show in it’s beginning stages might reveal that answer to us in the near future.
The unofficial name of the show is DL in Corporate America. In the first casting call in Dallas, Tx 400 people showed up to audition. Among those that showed up were cross-dressing CEO’s and lesbian judges. While they have the right to live their lives they way they want, they are hiding their sexualities in the workplace for fear of being judged. Should they be hiding their sexuality in the workplace?
There are laws in the workplace to prevent discrimination. One law is the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This law was put in place to prevent discrimination against anyone based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It took years for the law to actually work in the favor of African Americans and in some places the struggle still exists.
A year before, the Equal Pay Act of 1963 was created. This was supposed to make sure women could make the same amount as men while doing the exact same job. Has it worked? As of 2016 in some areas women are making more money than men and in others the discrimination still exists.
Fast forward to 1994. An idea to pass a federal law preventing discrimination of sexual orientation came into existence. This was supposed to officially be in favor of the LGBT community. However, the law, known as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, was not passed until 2013. However, even with the ENDA, not everyone is satisfied.
Well, clearly not everyone will be satisfied with a law that benefits certain people and a law can’t control anyone’s feelings. It’s also an unspoken rule that these laws tend to work better for people that are not Black. However, are we ready to discuss the issues, especially the ones with Black Gays and Lesbians, in the workplace on national television? Would you tune in?
No filming for this has been done yet. There has only been one casting call in Dallas. There will be more casting calls in New York City and Detroit. There will be more details as new information comes. Information on this upcoming reality show was provided by someone working behind the scenes.
– Lashuntrice Bradley
