April 19, 2013 11:05 AM UTC

Discrimination? "I Choose To Work Where I Want To Work"

• 12 Comments
• by: Colorado Pols

We wrote yesterday about the debate over House Bill 1136, which extends the same protections against discrimination to employees of small businesses as presently exists for all other businesses with 15 or more employees under federal civil rights law. The Job Protection and Civil Rights Enforcement Act has drawn fierce opposition from Republicans, who have denounced the bill as "employment for trial lawyers" and an "attack on small business." As we noted yesterday, it has even been implied by Republican legislators in this debate that all such discrimination lawsuits are "frivolous," which would be a considerably more radical and distasteful position than most mainstream Colorado residents would agree with.

Here's video of a brief exchange between Democratic Rep. Lois Court and GOP Rep. Perry Buck, each relating experiences with harassment in their own lives. And how they dealt with it:

COURT: If this bill had been in place when I was a young woman, I would have sued the everloving out of some people in small business, and they would have deserved it. So I just want you to know that this is not about 'killing jobs,' this is about protecting people who deserve our protection. Please vote yes.

BUCK: Interesting, Representative Court, I was in the same position. And you know I looked at myself and, I, you know, I choose to work where I want to work. [Pols emphasis] That's our choice. But there was another female that actually recorded the conversation of the harassment. And she won a million dollar lawsuit! And I left the company because I wasn't going to work for a boss that was going to harass me. But that's your choice…

Got that, victims of discrimination? Sure you could sue, like some "other female" than Republican Rep. Perry Buck did, or you can do…the honorable thing or something. Which is, um, you know, to not sue. Rep. Buck ends her remarks (after this clip ends) by saying that the "choice" should be with people to sue or not, but that this bill to give employees of small business the same rights as other businesses is "unfair." She doesn't explain why, and her whole point just kind of collapses. But it's clear she's most of all proud to have not sued. For the rambling end of Rep. Perry's remarks, click here and navigate to 177:08. It's really not a pretty picture.

When we said yesterday it seems Republicans think all claims of discrimination are "frivolous," we realize that some of you thought we were perhaps exaggerating their position. That's a pretty radical position, after all.

Doesn't look like it, folks.