Both Federal and California laws prohibit discrimination in the workplace based on an employee’s “protected characteristics.” Under California law, “protected characteristics” includes: “race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, marital status, sex, age, or sexual orientation.”
Philip A. Toomey, Employment Practice Partner with Leech Tishman, presented to California municipal and corporate employees on Non-Traditional Discrimination: Ageism, Transgender, and Protected Classes.