Protected Classes: Expand, Reduce or Maintain?

[Vandaler]

So the question for this thread is: Should federal law protecting classes of people against discrimination in employment be expanded and, if so, to cover which additional groups? Or should federal law remain as-is? Or should the list of protected classes be pared down in some way?

I'm thinking that employment should also not be denied on the basis of political ideology, alcoholism, low IQ, natural body odor and flatulence, because those are all immutable characteristics of an individual.

While discremination protects against unfair treatment of one's candidacy to an available job, labor remains essentially a market and employers are allowed to choose the best candidate to fill their position.

It is perfectly understandable that someone with alcoholism, low IQ, natural body odor and flatulance would not be in the end, the best fit to join a company. Choosing the best candidate, thus, not the smelly and dense individual, does not constitute discrimenation but rather, objective labor market at work.

Political ideology is not immutable

[evensaul]

... and employers are allowed to choose the best candidate to fill their position.

But are not allowed to discriminate against people in many ways. That is what this debate is about - the exceptions to an employer's right to choose.

It is perfectly understandable that someone with alcoholism, low IQ, natural body odor and flatulance would not be in the end, the best fit to join a company. Choosing the best candidate, thus, not the smelly and dense individual, does not constitute discrimenation but rather, objective labor market at work.

"Perfectly understandable" is not an effective argument. People used to think it perfectly understandable to discriminate on the basis of race, religion, disability etc. How are the ugly, dense, and smelly objectively different in terms of rights?

Political ideology is not immutable

But isn't it just as important to a person as religion, which is a protected class because employers should not expect an applicant to change religions in order to gain a job? Again, how is political ideology materially different?