While a handful of cases relate to sexual orientation, the complaints run the gamut representing all the different protected categories, she said.

The logical development will be that every group not in the protected categories will demand to be included.

In late 1994, he opposed his government's plans to add sexual orientation as a protected category under Canada's hate crimes legislation.

Only discrimination based on certain characteristics (protected categories) is illegal.

There is no sexual orientation or gender identity provisions as a protected category in the Paraguay constitution.

Most state laws are similar, though some also include sexual orientation as a protected category.

It is the less protected of the two protected categories.

It requires that the administration demonstrate that national security is involved in order to take jobs out of their old protected categories.

But the Senate has balked because it is unwilling to include "sexual orientation" as a protected category.

"No inference of discrimination may be drawn" if the new employee was himself within the protected category, the appeals court said.