The LAD, originally enacted in 1945, prohibits discrimination in employment, labor organization membership, public accommodations and real estate, financial, and business transactions. In 1991, the New Jersey legislature added “affectional or sexual orientation” to the personal characteristics of race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, and marital status previously protected.
Under the Act, it is unlawful for an employer “to refuse to hire or employ or to bar or to discharge or require to retire” any individual on the basis of a protected characteristic.
Id. § 10:5–12(a). The Act also prohibits the printing or circulating of any statement which expresses, directly or indirectly, that employment opportunities for persons with the protected characteristics will be limited.
Id. § 10:5–12(c). Public accommodations are similarly restrained.
See id. § 10:5–12(f). In addition, the LAD makes it illegal for any individual to refuse to transact business with individual groups who have any of the protected characteristics.
Id. §§ 10:5–12(l ), (m). The Act also makes it illegal “to aid, abet, incite, compel or coerce the doing of any of the acts forbidden under this act, or to attempt to do so.”
Id. § 10:5–12(e). Still another section applying the Act's prohibition against aiding, abetting, inciting or coercing violations of subsection (
l ) and (m) specifically prohibits incitements to boycott persons who belong to the protected groups.
Id. § 10:5–12(n)(2). Finally, the Act requires owners of public accommodations and employers to post public notices informing employees and patrons of their rights under the Act.
Id. § 10:5–12(j).