Washington State Human Rights Commission

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Jurisdiction - What is Illegal Discrimination??

Under the law, the Human Rights Commission can investigate complaints of alleged discrimination in the following areas:

EMPLOYMENT

The law includes:
Employers with 8 or more employees
Labor organizations and employment agencies

It is an unfair practice for any employer to:

Refuse to hire,
Discharge or bar any person from employment,
Discriminate against any person in compensation or in other terms or conditions of employment,
Print or circulate any advertisement, publication, or application form, which expresses any limitation, specification or discrimination based on:
- Age, sex, marital status, race, creed (religion), color, national origin, sexual orientation (including gender identity), disability (including HIV Status and the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a disabled person) and whistle blower retaliation.

HOUSING & REAL ESTATE

The law includes:

Sales/Rentals of Housing, including Condos, Manufactured Homes, and Apartments,
Sales/Rentals of Real Property, including Offices, Buildings, and Land,
Mortgage Lenders & Advertising.

In a real estate transaction it is an unfair practice to:

Refuse to engage in,
Discriminate in terms, conditions, or privileges of,
Refuse to receive or fail to transmit an offer,
Refuse to negotiate,
Represent that a property is not available for sale, rent, or lease when in fact it is available,
Make, print, or circulate any advertisement, sign or application form which indicates, either directly or indirectly, an intent to discriminate,
Expel a person from occupancy,
Discriminate in the course of negotiating, executing or financing a real estate transaction based on:
- Race, creed (religion), color, national origin, sex, marital status, families with children status, sexual orientation (including gender identity), disability (including the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a disabled person).

Unlike other discrimination complaints, complaints relating to housing or real estate must be filed within one year of the date of the alleged discrimination.

PLACES OF PUBLIC ACCOMMODATION

A place of public accommodation includes:

Any place of public resort, accommodation, assemblage, or amusement, including: Restaurants, Hotels, Motels, and Inns, Stores, Markets, and Shopping Malls, Theaters, Cinemas, Concert Halls, and Arenas, Parks, Fairs, and Arcades, Libraries, Schools, Government Offices, and Hospitals.

It is an unfair practice to:

Require any person to pay a larger sum of than the uniform rates charged other persons,
Refuse or withhold from any person the admission to, or use of, a place of public accommodation, based on:
- Race, creed (religion), color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation (including gender identity), and disability (including the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a disabled person).

CREDIT

The law includes:

Financial institutions,
Any person whether acting for himself, herself, or another in connection with any credit transaction.

It is an unfair practice for to:

Deny credit,
Increase charges, fees or collateral requirements,
Restrict the amount or use of credit, or
Impose different terms and conditions, based on:
- Race, creed (religion), color, national origin, sex, marital status, sexual orientation (including gender identity), and disability (including the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a disabled person).

INSURANCE

It is an unfair practice to:

Cancel, fail, or refuse to issue or renew insurance or a health maintenance agreement based on:
- Sex, marital status, race, creed (religion), color, national origin, sexual orientation (including gender identity), or disability (including the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a disabled person).

WHISTLE BLOWER RETALIATION

The Whistle blower Act (RCW 42.40) provides an avenue for state employees to report suspected improper governmental activity to the State Auditor. Any Washington state employee may report a suspected improper governmental action through the Whistle blower Program. For more information on the Auditor’s Whistle blower program click here (http://www.sao.wa.gov).

It is an unfair practice to retaliate against a "whistle blower" (RCW 49.60.210). If you work for the state (agencies and institutions of higher education) and believe that your employer retaliated against you for being a whistle blower, you may file a complaint with the Human Rights Commission. For more information on Whistle blower Retaliation click here.

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