The Missouri Human Rights Act (the Act) protects individuals from being discriminated against based on their national origin and/or ancestry. Whatever an employee or job applicant's ancestry is, he/she is entitled to the same employment opportunities as anyone else. The Act applies to employers with six or more employees, including state and local governments. It also applies to employment agencies, “temp services”, and to labor organizations as well as landlords, housing providers, property managers, those selling houses, realtors and those providing loans for dwellings. The Act also covers all businesses that offer their goods and services to the general public including local and state governments, and therefore those entities cannot refuse, withhold from or deny accommodations, advantages, facilities, and/or privileges to any person based on their national origin or ancestry.
National origin/ancestry discrimination means treating someone less favorably because he/she comes from a particular place, because of his/her ethnicity or accent, or because it is believed that he/she has a particular ethnic background. National origin/ancestry discrimination also means treating someone less favorably because of marriage or other association with someone of a particular nationality or ethnicity.
The Act prohibits:
- Any employment decision, including recruitment, hiring, and firing or layoffs, based on national origin or ancestry.
- Any housing decision, including, rental, sale, lending, or eviction, based on national origin or ancestry.
- Any decision regarding provision of goods or services by a place of public accommodations, including entry, provision of goods or services, or the terms and conditions of goods and services, based on national origin or ancestry.
- Offensive conduct, such as ethnic slurs, that creates a hostile environment based on national origin or ancestry. Employers, housing providers and places of public accommodations are required to take appropriate steps to prevent and correct unlawful harassment and discrimination. Likewise, employees, tenants, and customers are responsible for reporting harassment and discrimination at an early stage to prevent its escalation.
Discrimination against individuals in the state of Missouri based on their national origin or ancestry, regardless of citizenship, is prohibited. However, relief may be limited if an individual is not in the country legally.
If you believe that you have been discriminated against, you can file a complaint of discrimination.