Protected Classes Under Connecticut Discrimination Law
Connecticut law protects people from discrimination in important parts of everyday life. These protections apply in areas such as employment, housing, public accommodations, and credit transactions.
Discrimination law specifically prohibits unfair treatment on the basis of “protected class” or “protected characteristics”. These legal protections apply to everyone, not only certain groups of people. If someone is treated differently because of their protected characteristics, that may violate Connecticut discrimination law.
While many protected classes overlap across different types of cases, some protections only apply in certain situations.
Protected Classes in Employment, Housing, Public Accommodations, and Credit Transactions
The following protected classes appear in all areas of Connecticut discrimination law:
- Race
- Color
- Religious Creed
- Sex
- Sexual Orientation
- Gender Identity or Expression
- National Origin
- Ancestry
- Marital Status
- Civil Union Status
- Age
- Disability (physical, mental, intellectual, and learning disabilities)
- Veteran Status
- Status as a Victim of Domestic Violence
- Status as a Victim of Sexual Assault
- Status as a Victim of Trafficking in Persons
- Clean Slate (erased criminal history) Status
- Retaliation for filing a CHRO complaint
Protected Classes That Apply Only in Certain Areas
Some protected classes are more limited and only apply in particular types of discrimination cases.
- Genetic Information (employment)
- Familial Status (housing) – households with children under 18
- Lawful Source of Income (housing and public accommodations) – things like housing vouchers/Section 8, Social Security benefits, disability benefits, child support, alimony, public assistance, and retirement income
Prior Criminal Convictions and State Agencies
Connecticut law also contains special protections involving prior criminal convictions in certain state employment and state licensing situations. Agencies are required to consider the nature of the offense, how long ago the conviction occurred, whether the offense is related to the position or license involved, and evidence of rehabilitation.
These protections are different from Clean Slate (erased criminal history) protections.
A Final Note
Not every Connecticut discrimination law applies in exactly the same way to every employer, landlord, business, lender, or government agency. Some laws contain exemptions, limitations, or special rules depending on the type of organization or situation involved.
However, Connecticut law broadly prohibits discrimination in many important parts of daily life and provides protections for a wide range of protected classes.
This article provides general information about protected classes under Connecticut law. It is not legal advice.
