The bill specifies that anti-hate speech training must "provide supervisors and employees with practical guidance on recognizing, reporting, and confronting workplace speech that vilifies, humiliates, or incites hatred against people based on the protected characteristics" listed under the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). Those protected characteristics include race, sex, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, national origin, and others.

What does it mean to "vilify" a coworker? What workplace speech "humiliates" versus merely offends? The bill does not say. A Christian employee who states that marriage is the union of one man and one woman has, in the view of many legislators, done all three.

Consequently, the bill raises serious First Amendment concerns. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled there is no “hate speech” exception for free speech protections. By requiring employers to promote state-approved views on what constitutes “hate,” the law risks compelling speech in violation of constitutional principles.

Finally, the bill expands government overreach into private workplaces. With no clear standards, employers, especially small businesses, face greater compliance burdens, legal uncertainty, and potential lawsuits, disproportionately impacting those with limited resources or differing viewpoints.

  To learn more about 

TEACHERS LUNCH and LEARN

CLICK  HERE