Unlike the transgendered, short people still look for protection from discrimination in Massachusetts and beyond.

So today, I ran across this article from AOL Jobs, written by Donna Ballman (en employment lawyer) about how there are still legal ways you can be fired based on your appearance.  Believe it or not, you can be fired for being: too attractive, too thin, too fat (unless you are overweight enough to qualify for a disability), too ugly,  too young, improper attire and being too short (although if you are let go for being too short as a female it could fall under the heading of disparate impact, since females are protected under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act).   This never ceases to amaze me, how some groups get protection, while others are still treated unfairly and no recourse is offered.   Here is what Ms. Ballman had to say about short people's plight in the workplace:

Like attractive folks, tall people tend to make more money than short people. Minimum height requirements may have a disparate impact on women, so employers must be very careful in imposing height requirements. If your company tends to equally prefer taller men and women over shorter ones, you may be out of luck. If you're lucky enough to live in Michigan, or the cities of Santa Cruz, Binghamton or San Francisco height discrimination is expressly illegal there. Massachusetts has a similar bill pending in the legislature right now.

The bill in Massachusetts she is referring to is H1758:   http://www.malegislature.gov/Bills/188/House/H1758


Now, the state of Massachusetts has been trying (well Byron Rushing anyway), to get legislation passed to protect the short and overweight for at least ten years.  This bill hardly gets much support obviously from his colleagues there in the liberal, tolerant (or should I say "Tall" erant; meaning tolerance doesn't apply to short people) state of Massachusetts.

Yet, this same state passed a law in 2011 to ban discrimination against people based on them being transgendered or on their gender identity.  Now, even students have to share a bathroom with students of the opposite sex because they identify themselves as being female if they are male or vice versa.  So a male student can walk into a girl's bathroom at school saying that he is really a girl and if the girl objects to his presence, she can face punishment.  So, the Massachusetts Department of Education passes this directive on.  

But apparently, this same state thinks that passing a law to ban height discrimination is more ridiculous than allowing a male into a girls bathroom.   Massachusetts, you're ridiculous!

Two different heights: Two different outcomes

This past week, I am sure many have been inundated with these images of the ex-cop in Los Angeles who went on a killing spree but how many of you are aware that we had someone awarded the Medal of Honor also this past week?

Well, a staff sergeant by the name of Clinton Romesha was given this prestigious and rare award  for his bravery and courage back in 2009 in Afghanistan.  Yes, this man was a hero!  A true one!  Not one who  was glorified because he went on a killing spree in southern California in retaliation for being wronged by the LAPD and taking out innocent people.  If being wronged is justification for going on a violent murder spree, this country will be plunged into a war zone; lawlessness will be the order of the day.   There are many that have been placed in more adverse and unfair circumstances than this ex-cop.   Clinton Romesha was definitely in an adverse situation when he and his fifty fellow soldiers were faced with taking on over thee hundred Taliban members who were surrounding them.  Facing gunfire, grenades and who knows what else, he was able to survive along with some of his battalion;  he was injured after shrapnel was embedded in his body  and still decided that he wasn't going to leave his comrades behind to be killed.    He got them out of there!

All this coming from a man who had been described as "intense, short and wiry."  It is obvious when you take a look at Mr Romesha that he stands at about 5'6" or 5'7".  Not what a heightist, prejudice society would envision as a hero, much less a Medal of Honor recipient.   Yet, they would rather imagine a man of say 6'0"  and above, weighing 270 being the hero.  Well, that was the build of this ex-cop who has since expired.  And, sadly, we see who the media wants to portray as heroic.   No surprise here!

This is Staff Sergeant Romesha receiving his Medal of Honor!!

Of course there is heightism

This recent article is just stating the truth!  Too bad people are dismissive of this issue, as displayed in the comments.

http://www.thecord.ca/?p=14923