When Adam Lambert was toiling away on American Idol he chose to keep his sexual orientation to himself despite lots of speculation in the media that he was gay.

That was probably a smart move.

The workplace in the United States, whether it be on a national stage in Hollywood, an office in Virginia, or a factory in Texas, has a long way to go before gays and lesbians are treated equally.

“I am currently a high school teacher in Philadelphia and I am not out to my students. There is a lot of homophobic language used in the school and I would not feel comfortable being out to my students.”

Last night, I got this email from Margit Olson. She’s the sister of a friend of mine and her situation is a sad commentary on human rights and dignity in this country.

Imagine if all the Greeks in the U.S. were not allowed to marry, or not allowed to serve in the military if they disclosed they were Greeks.

I’m not trying to be funny here. Being Greek, I figured this was a safe analogy.

This kind of government sanctioned discrimination would probably make employers and employees wonder why they should treat Greeks any better.

The government would pretty much be saying, it’s okay to treat Greeks like lesser human beings, no?

Well, that’s how we still largely treat gays and lesbians in this country when it comes to their workplace rights. There is no federal law against bias based on sexual preference. No federal laws at all.

It seems the government hasn’t even kept up with the private sector.

“If you look at company policies that protect gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) employees from discrimination and extend benefits to LGBT workers, there has been tremendous progress over the past decade,” says Kevin Jones, deputy director of Out & Equal Workplace Advocates. “Progressive companies recognize the importance of treating all employees equally when it comes to the competition for the best employees. Each year, the list of companies supporting LGBT workplace equality grows.”

And some states are doing their part. Today, twenty states and the District of Columbia have laws on the books protecting the rights of gays and lesbians. (Here’s a link to Lambda Legal where you can find out what the laws are in your state.)

But, Jones points out, “that means that currently, you can be legally fired in thirty states just because you are gay, lesbian or bisexual and in thirty-seven states because of your gender identity. Interestingly, almost 3/4 of heterosexuals surveyed were unaware or unsure that such actions are legal under federal law.”

So what needs to be done?

Many are hoping the The Employment Non-Discrimination Act, or ENDA, offering protections against workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, will be passed.

Jones is confident it will. “The leadership in Congress and at the White House are clear about their support for making ENDA a reality – it is now a matter of delivering,” he stresses.

But the bottom line, Adam Lambert does his job well.

The tracks of my tears- Adam Lambert

We all have to listen to his singing and judge him on that, not who he goes to bed with tonight.

Margit Olson, the Philly school teacher, is seeing some hopeful signs. Her partner receives benefits from the school district. But overall, it seems to be a work in progress.

“I had one incident earlier in the year where one of my students said, ‘Oooooo, Ms. Olson, John called you a dyke.’ The whole incident got blown out of proportion and the student who was accused of calling me a dyke was so embarrassed he said nothing,” she explains. “The next day, he came in with a letter apologizing for his actions. He took it upon himself to write the letter and ever since we have had a great relationship.”