Discrimination

Employment

Both the New York State and Suffolk County Human Rights Laws protects workers against discrimination or harassment based on their age, race, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, military status, sex, disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, familial status, marital status, status as a victim of domestic violence, arrest record or conviction record, or sincerely held practice of religion.

Both laws also:

• Make it an unlawful discriminatory practice to ask an applicant or employee whether they have ever been arrested or had a criminal accusation filed against them.
  • Under Suffolk County Code, Chapter 528-7(12) it is also unlawful to inquire about a person’s prior criminal conviction on an employment application or during an interview.
• Require employers to reasonably accommodate an employee’s religious practices, an employee’s disability, and an employee’s pregnancy-related condition.
• Make it an unlawful discriminatory practice for an employer to treat applicants or employees differently based on religious beliefs or practices, in any area of employment, including recruitment, hiring, assignments, discipline, promotion, and benefits.
• Make it an unlawful discriminatory practice for employers to subject employees to harassment because of religious beliefs or practices. It is also illegal for employers to retaliate against applicants or employees for reporting alleged religious discrimination in the workplace.
• Makes it an unlawful discriminatory practice to deny employment, to refuse to hire, to terminate, or to take an adverse employment action against an applicant or employee because of their conviction record unless there is a direct relationship between a prior criminal offense and the specific employment sought or held or employment of that individual would involve an unreasonable risk to property or to the safety or welfare of specific individuals or the general public. N.Y. Exec. Law § 296(15).
• Prohibit employers from retaliating against employees—taking action that would punish an employee and or worker in some form—for complaining about potential employment law violations, providing information to government agencies, or participating in governmental proceedings.

Use the below complaint form:

• If you are an employee filing a complaint against your employer, a domestic worker, or an intern or a volunteer filing against an employer.
• If you are used by non-employees and experience discrimination while working at an employer’s worksite. (This includes independent contractors, persons working for a contractor, temp workers, vendors, consultants, delivery persons, and service providers such as electricians, janitorial workers, and so on.)
• If you were denied a license by a licensing agency or if you experienced illegal discrimination by a union or by an employment or temporary agency.

File a complaint: Visit our online Sivil Portal OR print out paper forms in English or Spanish

Housing

The County Executive is committed to preventing housing discrimination and promoting compliance with federal, state, and local fair housing laws. Training and education for residents and businesses on their rights and responsibilities under fair housing laws are necessary to combat fair and equitable housing impediments. Education and training opportunities and additional resources are listed below:

Suffolk County Fair Housing Law: Chapter §528-9

Additional Resources:

Suffolk County Human Rights Law: https://suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/Human-Rights-Commission/Fair-Housing

NYS Fair Housing Guide PDF: https://dhr.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2022/05/nysdhr-fair-housing-guide-2021.pdf

NYS Guidance on Protections from Source of Income in Housing Under the New York Human Rights Law PDF: https://dhr.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2022/05/nysdhr-soi-guidance-2020.pdf

NYS Division of Human Rights Sexual Harassment in Housing PDF: https://dhr.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2022/05/nysdhr-housing-sexual-harassment.pdf

NYS Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Housing Trifold Pamphlet PDF: https://dhr.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2022/05/housing_disabilities.pdf

File a complaint: Visit our online Sivil Portal OR print out paper forms in English or Spanish

Education, Credit, Public Accommodations & Volunteer Firefighting

• Public Accommodation Use the form below to file a complaint if you experienced discrimination as a customer or client of any establishment offering goods or services to the public (for example: stores, theatres, restaurants, transportation services, public buildings, salons, medical offices, day care services, parks, fitness and recreation facilities, etc., including any such facilities owned or operated by a governmental entity). File a complaint: Visit our online Sivil Portal OR print out paper forms in English or Spanish
• Credit Use the form below to complain of discriminatory denial of credit or insurance NOTE:
  • Use the housing complaint form for denial of a mortgage or any housing-related credit
  • Use the employment complaint form for issues about insurance benefits provided by your employer
  File a complaint: Visit our online Sivil Portal OR print out paper forms in English or Spanish
• Education Use the form below to file a complaint as a current or former student, or as an applicant, against any public school (including public school districts, charter school, BOCES, public colleges and universities, universal Pre-K, Head Start or other publicly funded pre-kindergarten program), or any private school at any education level, excluding those which are for-profit, or run by a religious organization. (If you are not sure of the for-profit or religious nature of a school, you may file a complaint and we will investigate the status of the school as a preliminary matter.)
• Volunteer Firefighters Use the following form if you are filing a complaint as a volunteer firefighter: File a complaint: Visit our online Sivil Portal OR print out paper forms in English or Spanish