At the turn of the twentieth century there was a major push for women’s rights in the United States. In the 1950’s and 60’s it was civil rights for African American and other minority groups based on race. In the 1980’s and ’90’s there was a movement for handicapped and disabled citizens. Now, in the twenty-first century the time has finally come for equality based on sexuality. The lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community see themselves as a minority group and expected to be protected from discrimination. Many companies in the United States are finally coming around on the idea. The casino community, particularly in Connecticut, agrees.
The Foxwoods Casino and the MGM Grand at Foxwoods announced at the end of last month that the LGBT community is a minority group among its employees and deserve progressive civil rights. Foxwoods has long admitted that a large part of their market comes from the LGBT community in Connecticut and surrounding states, but this announcement does more than ask people to come gamble. It tells them they have no bias when it comes to hiring and employee benefits. “Foxwoods has truly emerged as an LGBT ally,” said, president and founder of the Connecticut Alliance for Business Opportunities, Dena Castricone.
The Foxwoods Casino has made changes to its hiring polices and will include same sex couples under their benefits packages. This is a big step as few companies in the United States are willing to recognize same sex couples, and same sex marriage is a political hot box.
The Pequot Tribe who operates the Foxwoods Casino is proud to be ahead of the charge on LGBT civil rights. “Our Pequot culture has endured a lot of discrimination over the centuries so we understand the importance of being able to embrace all the freedoms Americans treasure,” said a spokeswoman for the Mashantucket Pequot Gaming Enterprises. They are proud to say that everyone is equal and they care for all their employees without prejudice. Good for them!
