--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is long past time to eliminate bigotry…" description: "\"It is long past time to eliminate bigotry in the workplace and to ensure equal opportunity for all Americans. It is time to make clear that lesbian, ga..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acf/tom-harkin-19587_american-family_it-is-long-past-time-to-eliminate-bigotr_2972490.jpg" --- # It is long past time to eliminate bigotry in the workplace… ![“It is long past time to eliminate bigotry in the workplace and to ensure equal opportunity for all Americans. It is time to make clear that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans are first class citizens. They are full and welcome members of our American family and they deserve the same…” quote by Tom Harkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acf/tom-harkin-19587_american-family_it-is-long-past-time-to-eliminate-bigotr_2972490.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acf/tom-harkin-19587_american-family_it-is-long-past-time-to-eliminate-bigotr_2972490.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acf/tom-harkin-19587_american-family_it-is-long-past-time-to-eliminate-bigotr_2972490.jpg) > “It is long past time to eliminate bigotry in the workplace and to ensure equal opportunity for all Americans. It is time to make clear that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans are first class citizens. They are full and welcome members of our American family and they deserve the same civil rights protections as all other Americans. It is time for us to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Such discrimination is wrong and should not be tolerated.” [Tom Harkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-harkin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker urges ending workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, affirming equal civil rights for LGBTQ+ individuals. **In simple terms:** Stop workplace bigotry; ensure equal rights for LGBTQ+ people. Key Takeaway Support anti‑discrimination policies. Themes equality human rights LGBTQ+ workplace policy Mood hopeful determined Type political activist When to use this quote - HR training - legislative advocacy - company policies - public statements Key Concepts civil rights inclusion social justice Questions to Reflect On - What steps can organizations take to enforce equality? - How can allies effectively support LGBTQ+ rights? A Different Perspective Implementation can face cultural resistance and legal challenges. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-family/) [Bigotry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigotry/) [Bigotry Workplace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigotry-workplace-4583468/) [Bisexual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bisexual/) [Citizens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizens/) [Civil Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-right/) [Civil rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-rights/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Clear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clear/) [Deserve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deserve/) [Discrimination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discrimination/) [Discrimination Wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discrimination-wrong-4583467/) [Eliminate Bigotry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eliminate-bigotry-387854/) [Equal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equal/) [Equal opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equal-opportunity/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [First class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-class/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay/) [Gender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gender/) [Gender identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gender-identity/) [Homosexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homosexuality/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Members](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/members/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Orientation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orientation/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Past time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-time/) [Prohibit Discrimination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prohibit-discrimination-3739627/) [Protection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protection/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Transgender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transgender/) [Transgender Americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transgender-americans-1753562/) [Welcome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/welcome/) [Workplace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/workplace/) ## Related quotes > [Sadly, we can't eliminate bigotry. But that doesn't mean we have to tolerate it, much less give it a platform on which to thrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-viner/sadly-we-can-t-eliminate-bigotry-but-that-doesn-t-mean-we-have-to/) [Katharine Viner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-viner/) > [As governor, I would gladly sign legislation to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity/expression. Other states have led on these issues,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cordray/as-governor-i-would-gladly-sign-legislation-to-prohibit/) [Richard Cordray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cordray/) > [“Racism and discrimination are wrong as a matter of principle, not of science. Science is about what is, not what ought to be. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/racism-and-discrimination-are-wrong-as-a-matter-of-principle-not-of/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) > [Let's be under no illusions: There are attacks on, for example, transgender Americans from the Oval Office, picking on troops - people willing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-buttigieg/let-s-be-under-no-illusions-there-are-attacks-on-for-example/) [Pete Buttigieg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-buttigieg/) > [Effective immediately, transgender Americans may serve openly, and they can no longer be discharged or otherwise separated from the military just for being transgender.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashton-carter/effective-immediately-transgender-americans-may-serve-openly-and-they/) [Ashton Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashton-carter/) > [Too often, when transgender people die, family members or funeral homes will end up dressing a body of a transgender person in the garments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-mcbride/too-often-when-transgender-people-die-family-members-or-funeral-homes/) [Sarah McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-mcbride/) > [If you find yourself in a relationship or even a friendship with someone who's conflicted with their gender identity, just be kind. This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-d-thompson/if-you-find-yourself-in-a-relationship-or-even-a-friendship-with/) [Linda D. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-d-thompson/) > [What does it mean to be an American today? The question of that is always pointing at now. It allows someone to say what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-davis/what-does-it-mean-to-be-an-american-today-the-question-of-that-is/) [Will Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-davis/) > [A big part of gender identity is finding the clothes you feel comfortable and authentic in. I always gravitated to men's clothing, but as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-flip/a-big-part-of-gender-identity-is-finding-the-clothes-you-feel/) [G Flip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-flip/) > [“When we are a spiritual student, our gender identity is omni-gender and our relationship status is omni-relationship-status.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-goddard/when-we-are-a-spiritual-student-our-gender-identity-is-omni-gender/) [Donna Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-goddard/) > [Sexuality is who you want to be with. Gender identity is who you want to be in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-nef/sexuality-is-who-you-want-to-be-with-gender-identity-is-who-you-want/) [Hari Nef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-nef/) > [We are undermining a generation's happiness by depriving them of national identity, religious identity, and gender identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/we-are-undermining-a-generation-s-happiness-by-depriving-them-of/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [“If your organization is not formally committed to a policy of nondiscrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression or gender presentation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-d-acquaviva/if-your-organization-is-not-formally-committed-to-a-policy-of/) [Kimberly D. Acquaviva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-d-acquaviva/) > [I think we all are born inside of our parents' narratives. We stay there for a good while. We are taught their narratives about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/i-think-we-all-are-born-inside-of-our-parents-narratives-we-stay/) [Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/) > [“Feminism is itself a challenge. Feminism is a challenge to the way things are in the world. It is by definition an oppositional movement,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/feminism-is-itself-a-challenge-feminism-is-a-challenge-to-the-way/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) ## More by Tom Harkin > [The Gulf War was like teenage sex. We got in too soon and out too soon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-harkin/the-gulf-war-was-like-teenage-sex-we-got-in-too-soon-and-out-too-soon/) [Tom Harkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-harkin/) > [The President must stop gambling with taxpayers' money and get the country back on the path of fiscal sanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-harkin/the-president-must-stop-gambling-with-taxpayers-money-and-get-the/) [Tom Harkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-harkin/) > [I've always been for immigration reform; in 2007 I just didn't feel it had enough protections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-harkin/i-ve-always-been-for-immigration-reform-in-2007-i-just-didn-t-feel-it/) [Tom Harkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-harkin/) > [The burning issue of our time is the growing inequality in income and wealth in our country, and it's got to be addressed. We've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-harkin/the-burning-issue-of-our-time-is-the-growing-inequality-in-income-and/) [Tom Harkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-harkin/) > [ You \[the Gallaudet students\] have brought the deaf community together… You are my heroes. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-harkin/you-the-gallaudet-students-have-brought-the-deaf-community-together/) [Tom Harkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-harkin/) > [Today, only two groups in the United States have total immunity from lawsuits: foreign diplomats and HMOs. We believe it's time to end diplomatic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-harkin/today-only-two-groups-in-the-united-states-have-total-immunity-from/) [Tom Harkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-harkin/) > [The planes were hijacked, the buildings fell, and thousands of lives were lost nearly a thousand miles from here. But the attacks on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-harkin/the-planes-were-hijacked-the-buildings-fell-and-thousands-of-lives/) [Tom Harkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-harkin/) > [I am a Democrat and I love my party and I want them to have good policies and good candidates, so I hope to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-harkin/i-am-a-democrat-and-i-love-my-party-and-i-want-them-to-have-good/) [Tom Harkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-harkin/) > [If we are serious about combating the childhood obesity epidemic and improving child nutrition, then everyone must chip in -- parents, schools, and yes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-harkin/if-we-are-serious-about-combating-the-childhood-obesity-epidemic-and/) [Tom Harkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-harkin/) > [There is no such thing as a pro-nuclear environmentalist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-harkin/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-pro-nuclear-environmentalist/) [Tom Harkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-harkin/) > [It's been years, but I still say that I went out with the same progressive values and liberal ideals that I went in with.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-harkin/it-s-been-years-but-i-still-say-that-i-went-out-with-the-same/) [Tom Harkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-harkin/) > [Stem cell research holds enormous promise for easing human suffering, and federal support is critical to its success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-harkin/stem-cell-research-holds-enormous-promise-for-easing-human-suffering/) [Tom Harkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-harkin/) > [When you dig down, people are pretty progressive, by and large. I guess, I've said it many times - that a lot of people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-harkin/when-you-dig-down-people-are-pretty-progressive-by-and-large-i-guess/) [Tom Harkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-harkin/) > [There's no one silver bullet, but money really is the root of all evil. The single biggest problem is how much more money is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-harkin/there-s-no-one-silver-bullet-but-money-really-is-the-root-of-all-evil/) [Tom Harkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-harkin/) > [I fully support President Bush's decision to strike Al Qaeda's terrorist network. Now more than ever, we must stand united as a nation and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-harkin/i-fully-support-president-bush-s-decision-to-strike-al-qaeda-s/) [Tom Harkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-harkin/) [Explore all 32 Tom Harkin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-harkin/) ## More American family quotes > [In comparative terms, there's no poverty in America by a long shot. Heritage Foundation political scientist Robert Rector has worked up figures showing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/in-comparative-terms-there-s-no-poverty-in-america-by-a-long-shot/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [We want American families to feel more confident in life. We want the next generation to know that yes, the best days of this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ryan/we-want-american-families-to-feel-more-confident-in-life-we-want-the/) [Paul Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ryan/) > [“At the very same time that we witnessed the explosion of white celebrity moms, and the outpouring of advice to a surveillance of middle-class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-j-douglas/at-the-very-same-time-that-we-witnessed-the-explosion-of-white/) [Susan J. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-j-douglas/) > [To my way of thinking, the American family started to decline when parents began to communicate with their children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erma-bombeck/to-my-way-of-thinking-the-american-family-started-to-decline-when/) [Erma Bombeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erma-bombeck/) > [“We are taken through the pursuit of the American dream, the establishment of the American family, and a smattering of suspense and intrigue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-allgire/we-are-taken-through-the-pursuit-of-the-american-dream-the/) [Nikita Allgire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-allgire/) > [Now we have black and white elected officials working together. Today, we have gone beyond just passing laws. Now we have to create a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/now-we-have-black-and-white-elected-officials-working-together-today/) [John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/) > [I was completely naive about the business of being an actor. My family didn't go to the theater or to the movies. We watched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/i-was-completely-naive-about-the-business-of-being-an-actor-my-family/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [“...when President Clinton, on the anniversary of his election, spoke in the church in Tennessee where Martin Luther King, Jr., had delivered his last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-himmelfarb/when-president-clinton-on-the-anniversary-of-his-election-spoke-in/) [Gertrude Himmelfarb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-himmelfarb/) > [We had a very upwardly mobile economy, and that peaked around the 1950s when the typical middle-class American family consisted of a father with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/we-had-a-very-upwardly-mobile-economy-and-that-peaked-around-the/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [The truth is that family values, as used by the American Family Association, Dan Quayle, and the southern Baptists, has nothing to do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-sullivan/the-truth-is-that-family-values-as-used-by-the-american-family/) [Morris Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-sullivan/) > [When I was a kid I got so much help from the Church. When I was a kid, our family was so poor they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-woo/when-i-was-a-kid-i-got-so-much-help-from-the-church-when-i-was-a-kid/) [John Woo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-woo/) > [There is no institution more vital to our Nation's survival than the American family. Here the seeds of personal character are planted, the roots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/there-is-no-institution-more-vital-to-our-nation-s-survival-than-the/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [You know, yeah, my dad is white - he's American. His family has been in this country for many, many, many years. And the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-zegler/you-know-yeah-my-dad-is-white-he-s-american-his-family-has-been-in/) [Rachel Zegler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-zegler/) > [I think health care reform is challenging and challenged. We will see what happens, but this is a difficult topic that touches every American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-blunt/i-think-health-care-reform-is-challenging-and-challenged-we-will-see/) [Roy Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-blunt/) > [You hear a lot of dialogue on the death of the American family. Families aren't dying. They're merging into big conglomerates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erma-bombeck/you-hear-a-lot-of-dialogue-on-the-death-of-the-american-family/) [Erma Bombeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erma-bombeck/) [Browse all 155 American family quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-family/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is long past time to eliminate bigotry in the workplace and to ensure equal opportunity for all Americans. It is time to make clear that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans are first class citizens. They are full and welcome members of our American family and they deserve the same civil rights protections as all other Americans. It is time for us to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Such discrimination is wrong and should not be tolerated.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Harkin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-harkin/it-is-long-past-time-to-eliminate-bigotry-in-the-workplace-and-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American family" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-harkin/it-is-long-past-time-to-eliminate-bigotry-in-the-workplace-and-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acf/tom-harkin-19587_american-family_it-is-long-past-time-to-eliminate-bigotr_2972490.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acf/tom-harkin-19587_american-family_it-is-long-past-time-to-eliminate-bigotr_2972490.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acf/tom-harkin-19587_american-family_it-is-long-past-time-to-eliminate-bigotr_2972490.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is long past time to eliminate bigotry in the workplace and to ensure equal opportunity for all…” — Tom Harkin", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Tom Harkin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-harkin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is long past time to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-harkin/it-is-long-past-time-to-eliminate-bigotry-in-the-workplace-and-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-harkin/it-is-long-past-time-to-eliminate-bigotry-in-the-workplace-and-to/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```