You Have Rights!
What is discrimination?
Discrimination is when a person is treated differently than someone else based on the groups, classes, or categories they belong to or are thought to belong to, when there is no legal justification for doing so.
What is harassment?
Harassment is continued and regular unwanted actions against a person or persons.
What are my rights as a non-citizen?
You have a lot of rights! You must receive the same treatment as citizens in many ways. Your citizenship status is a protected class nationally. In addition, in Washington state, your immigration status is a protected class. This means that you can’t be treated differently than another person based solely on your immigration status. This is especially important in terms of employment, housing, educational access, and healthcare.
Protected Classes
In the U.S., there are things about a person that are protected: meaning that you can’t be discriminated against for these specific things. However, protected classes are different in different states, and different cities.
The U.S.A. (Federal)
Everywhere in the U.S. (federally), you can’t be discriminated against based on the following. In other words, these are protected classes across the entire country.
-
Race
-
Age
-
Color
-
Religion/faith
-
Sex
-
National origin or ancestry
-
Disability
-
Genetic information
-
Citizenship
-
Veteran status
Washington State
Additionally, in Washington state these are also protected classes.
-
Creed
-
Citizenship or immigration status
-
Sexual orientation
-
The presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability
-
The use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability
City of Seattle
And finally, in the city of Seattle these are also protected classes, in addition to the federal and state protected classes.
-
Ancestry
-
Gender Identity
-
Marital Status
-
Parental Status
-
Political Ideology
-
Use of Section 8 Certificate