Equality and Civil Rights

Working to promote civil rights, equality, diversity and opportunity.

I believe all Ohioans and all Americans should have the same opportunities in life to care for their families, earn a living, and serve their country, secure in the knowledge that their government will protect them from discrimination regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, or ethnicity.

Denied the basic rights and considerations that many of us take for granted, members of minority groups often become politically active out of necessity. Whenever possible, I have sought to bolster these efforts, using my platform to speak out and advocate for equal treatment for everyone. I have spent much of my career fighting to strengthen civil rights and equality — as a state legislator, Attorney General, head of the Center for Families and Children, and now as Lieutenant Governor — because I know we will not reach our full potential as a state or a nation until all citizens are treated equally under the law.

• COMBATING HATE CRIMES: As a State Legislator, Lee Fisher authored Ohio’s first-ever Hate Crime law toughening penalties for assault and harassment motivated by race, color, religion or national origin. He argued that increased punishment for such crimes is justified because intimidation of this nature escalates the act from an offense against an individual to a symbolic action toward an entire segment of society, tearing at the fabric of society and magnifying the scope and effect of the crime. Lee’s bill overwhelmingly passed both houses of the state legislature and was signed into law in 1986. Seven years later, as Ohio’s Attorney General, Lee was in the unique position of successfully defending the same law in front of the Ohio Supreme Court. In 2009, Lee spoke out in favor of federal hate crime legislation, known as The Matthew Shepard Act, saying it was long past time we did more to prevent hate crimes at the national level, particularly those targeting the LGBT community.
• ENDING LGBT DISCRIMINATION: Lee Fisher supports marriage equality. Believing in equal protection under the law, Lee believes that government has no business preventing Americans from entering into committed relationships and denying them basic rights, such as hospital visitation. Lee also supports the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and adoption rights for all couples and individuals, regardless of sexual orientation. Lee campaigned against the amendment to the Ohio Constitution that denied marriage equality, and as a member of the U.S. Senate, he would oppose any attempt to amend the U.S. Constitution to discriminate against or deny rights to any group of people.
• ENSURING NON-DISCRIMINATION IN THE WORKPLACE: As a United States Senator, Lee Fisher will work to strengthen anti-discrimination laws in the workplace. In 2009, Lee supported the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act signed into law by President Obama to ensure that victims of wage discrimination can effectively challenge unequal pay. He also supports the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would provide more effective remedies to victims of wage discrimination by enhancing enforcement of equal pay requirements. Furthermore, Lee strongly supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and believes our anti-discrimination employment laws should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity.
• VOTING RIGHTS: Lee Fisher believes the right to vote is fundamental to our democracy, and though we have come a great distance, voting discrimination still exists in America. In the U.S. Senate, Lee will support efforts to strengthen voter protections, prevent intimidation at the polling place, and ensure every vote is counted.
• A MORAL AND ECONOMIC IMPERATIVE: Promoting equality and diversity is not only the right thing to do. It’s also good for the economy. As Lt. Governor and Director of the Ohio Department of Development, Lee Fisher has traveled extensively meeting with businesses from across the country and all over the world to convince them that locating in Ohio would be the best possible move they could make. In choosing where to do business, leading employers look to cultural as well as economic considerations. A state that can boast a diverse, dynamic workforce will have a competitive advantage. Working to make Ohio a place where all are treated equal and feel welcome also makes economic sense.
• A FAMILY HISTORY OF ADVOCACY FOR DIVERSITY AND EQUALITY: Lee Fisher and his wife, Peggy Zone Fisher, are longtime advocates for diversity and equality. This commitment to diversity and equality is reflected in their work over the years, including Lee’s work as a state legislator, Attorney General, head of the Center for Families and Children, and Lieutenant Governor, and Peggy’s current position as President and CEO of the Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio.
  
  As Attorney General, Lee led successful efforts to require all Ohio basic law enforcement recruits to undergo 24 hours of cultural diversity training, making Ohio the first state in the nation to do so. He also sponsored the first-ever Multi-cultural Law Enforcement Conference to focus on issues and concerns of minority law enforcement officers; and the first-ever Multi-cultural Consumer Education Program to provide consumer protection information to targeted communities most often victimized by consumer scams.
  
  As Director of Development and Lieutenant Governor, Lee helped to maximize the opportunities and growth of minority businesses. Lee worked with Governor Strickland to create the first-ever Minority Business Advisory Council, the first annual Minority Business International Trade Conference, and the Business Matchmaker Conference to match small and minority-owned businesses with government agencies and contractors.