“Public accommodations laws vary from state to state (and city to city), but they generally bar businesses open to the public from refusing service to individuals based on certain protected characteristics,” Cole said, noting that they each decide which characteristics qualify.
“All protect against race discrimination, most protect against sex discrimination, some protect against sexual orientation discrimination, etc.”
So what about political leanings? As it turns out, “only three jurisdictions protect against discriminatory refusals of service based on political affiliation or opinion,” Cole said, but one of them is Washington, D.C. (The others are Seattle and the Virgin Islands.)
The Red Hen, the restaurant that booted Sanders, is in Virginia, but if any establishments in D.C. take a cue from them, they could be held in violation of D.C. Code Section 2-1402.31, which bars discriminatory actions against people in whole or in part due to characteristics including race, religion, nationality, sex, age, and more, including political affiliation. Violations can result in punishments including court-ordered corrective action or monetary penalties.
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“Public accommodations laws vary from state to state (and city to city), but they generally bar businesses open to the public from refusing service to individuals based on certain protected characteristics,” Cole said, noting that they each decide which characteristics qualify.
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“All protect against race discrimination, most protect against sex discrimination, some protect against sexual orientation discrimination, etc.”
>
So what about political leanings? As it turns out, “only three jurisdictions protect against discriminatory refusals of service based on political affiliation or opinion,” Cole said, but one of them is Washington, D.C. (The others are Seattle and the Virgin Islands.)
>
The Red Hen, the restaurant that booted Sanders, is in Virginia, but if any establishments in D.C. take a cue from them, they could be held in violation of D.C. Code Section 2-1402.31, which bars discriminatory actions against people in whole or in part due to characteristics including race, religion, nationality, sex, age, and more, including political affiliation. Violations can result in punishments including court-ordered corrective action or monetary penalties.
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