Popsquire

For today’s collision between pop culture and politics, check out President Barack Obama on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.

PS: Don’t make cracks about the Special Olympics at work today.  It could result in a disability harassment or discrimination lawsuit.  The President should have known better.

Technorati Tags: disability discrimination, disabled, jay leno, pop culture law, president barack obama, special olympics, tonight show

Rachel is no longer green!

Among other reasons to celebrate Jennifer Aniston’s 40th birthday is protection offered by the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), which prohibits American employers from discriminating against people 40 and older.  Jen must be relieved.

[Albert L. Ortega / PR Photos]

Technorati Tags: age discrimination in employment act, employment discrimination, jennifer aniston 40th birthday, pop culture law

Amid controversial comments from Dancing With The Stars pro-dancers Louis van Amstel and Maksim Chmerkovskiy that Cheryl Burke and Lacey Schwimmer are too heavy, Popsquire followers want answers!

Courtesy of ABC

Question: Can co-workers get away with calling each other fat or overweight?  Isn’t that discrimination?

Answer: Michigan is the only state with a law that specifically protects overweight people from discrimination in the workplace. With the exception of a few city ordinances, everyone else is pretty much out of luck, unless you are disabled due to weight. However, if the comments are made only about women, then there might be an issue of gender discrimination or harassment.

Technorati Tags: cheryl burke, dancing with the stars, fat, lacey schwimmer, Louis van Amstel, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, pop culture law, weight, weight discrimination

Like a typical lawyer, Popsquire loves a good feud!

In an ET interview, George Takei takes on William Shatner’s recent YouTube tirade in which he claims Takei didn’t extend an invitation to attend his wedding.  Takei says this is not true and extends Shatner another invite — to help fight Prop 8, the California initiative seeking to eliminate the right to marry for same sex couples.

Technorati Tags: george takei, george takei wedding, proposition 8, same sex marriage, star trek, william shatner

Technorati Tags: cnn, discrimination, Hilary Duff, homophobia, pop culture law, that's so gay, wanda sykes

David Duchovny is taking it one lay at a time!  The Californication star has checked out of rehab for sex addiction and is ready to start a new movie, according to People.

Popsquire’s perspective…

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to disabled employees.  Assuming a sex addiction qualifies as a disability, David conceivably might ask for a reduction in sex scenes to help him overcome his addiction.

Popsquire wishes David a long-term recovery!

Technorati Tags: americans with disabilities act, david duchovny, pop culture law, reasonable accommodation, sex addiction, sex rehab

Harry Potter phenom Daniel Radcliffe reveals that he suffers from a mild form of dyspraxia, a brain disorder that can impair the organization of movement. Daniel says that he suffers from a very mild form of the neurological disorder, which “at worst manifests itself in an inability to tie his shoe laces and bad handwriting.”

In short, Harry Potter can’t tie his shoes or write a check to pay someone to do it for him! That’s ok, though, because disability laws protect him from discrimination in the workplace. In the US, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires, among other things, that employers provide reasonable accommodations to disabled employees. Although disability protection laws at times can be vague and tricky, helping an actor with his shoes and handwriting seem pretty reasonable.

If you or someone you know has a disability, click here for more information on protections offered under the ADA.

Technorati Tags: americans with disabilities act, daniel radcliffe, disability, dyspraxia, handwriting, harry potter, law, neurological disorder, penmanship, pop culture, shoelaces

Whitney Thompson became the first plus-size model to win America’s Next Top Model last night.

Perhaps more important than her Cover Girl commercial is that her victory also presents a collision between pop culture and law. According to the Council on Size and Weight Discrimination (CSWD), discrimination against larger people is rampant. For example, CSWD claims that heavier workers are paid $1.25 less an hour and, over a 40-year career, they will earn up to $100,000 less before taxes than their thinner counterparts.

Do larger people have legal protections against discrimination in the workplace?

Not really.

Michigan is the only state with a law that specifically protects overweight people from discrimination in the workplace. Everyone else is pretty much out of luck, unless you are disabled or perceived as being disabled due to weight. This disability exception, however, likely applies to a very limited number of people.

Technorati Tags: america's next top model, discrimination, law, ms. j, overweight, pluz size model, pop culture, tyra banks, weight, whitney thompson

Popsquire loves NBC’s The Biggest Loser, Season 5.  If you didn’t watch tonight’s premiere, you should catch up here.  It has everything you can want from reality tv: competition, emotion, and inspiration.  

Most importantly, it also presents a collision between pop culture and law.  According to the Council on Size and Weight Discrimination (CSWD), discrimination against larger people is rampant.  For example, CSWD claims that heavier workers are paid $1.25 less an hour and, over a 40-year career, they will earn up to $100,000 less before taxes than their thinner counterparts.

Do larger people have legal protections against discrimination in the workplace?  

Not really. 

Michigan is the only state with a law that specifically protects overweight people from discrimination in the workplace.  Everyone else is pretty much out of luck, unless you are disabled or perceived as being disabled due to weight.  This disability exception, however, likely applies to a very limited number of people.

I think this is terrible.  What do you think?  Have you ever witnessed or experienced discrimination based on weight?  

[digg=http://www.digg.com/television/The_Biggest_Legal_Loser]

Technorati Tags: alison sweeney, biggest loser, bob harper, discrimination, law, nbc, pop culture, popsquire, russell wetanson, weight loss