Heterogeneity in Non-Discrimination Laws and the Effects of LGBT Employment Protections for Cohabitating Gay Men

Ian Burn, University of California, Irvine

This paper looks at legal differences in state-level employment nondiscrimination acts (ENDAs) for gay men. This paper focuses on what effect the differences in legal protections provided by the laws has upon the labor market outcomes of gay men. Using a differences-in-differences model, the results show that ENDAs increase the wages of gay men. Controlling for the differences in these laws results in larger increases in the wages of gay men covered by ENDAs. Stronger laws and stronger provisions in the laws result in a larger increase for gay men. Differences in damages, statute of limitations, and employer size minima help explain this effect. These results are important for understanding what parts of the employment discrimination protections lead to the largest decline in discrimination.