While most Americans support legal protection that would prohibit gays and lesbians from being fired because of sexual orientation, there is no federal law that provides such protection. It is legal to be fired for being gay in 39 states. For a list of US locations that prohibit such discrimination, see States, Cities and Counties That Ban Anti-Gay Job Discrimination . Legislation has been pending for some time in the U.S. Congress that would provide these protections, but has been blocked on number occasions. For more information on this legislation, see Employment Non-Discrimination Act .
Many companies also have policies that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Another concern for gay and lesbian students is whether their employer will offer medical and other benefits to their same sex partner. The City of San Francisco is currently the only U.S. jurisdiction that requires companies to offer benefits to both same and opposite sex partners. The San Francisco ordinance requires that any firm doing business with the city must provide such benefits. The lists below show companies that offer domestic partner benefits. Some large companies have gay and lesbian employee groups.