The opportunity for an individual to secure employment without discrimination because of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, age, ancestry or national origin is recognized as and declared to be a civil right.

Sec. 11. 5 MRSA §4572, sub-§1, ¶¶A, B and C, as amended by PL 1991, c. 885, Pt. E, §7 and affected by §47, are further amended to read:

A. For any employer to fail or refuse to hire or otherwise discriminate against any applicant for employment because of race or color, sex, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, age, ancestry or national origin, because of the applicant's previous assertion of a claim or right under former Title 39 or Title 39-A or because of previous actions taken by the applicant that are protected under Title 26, chapter 7, subchapter V-B 5-B; or, because of those reasons, to discharge an employee or discriminate with respect to hire, tenure, promotion, transfer, compensation, terms, conditions or privileges of employment or any other matter directly or indirectly related to employment; or, in recruiting of individuals for employment or in hiring them, to utilize any employment agency that the employer knows or has reasonable cause to know discriminates against individuals because of their race or color, sex, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, age, ancestry or national origin, because of their previous assertion of a claim or right under former Title 39 or Title 39-A or because of previous actions that are protected under Title 26, chapter 7, subchapter V-B 5-B;

(1) This paragraph does not apply to discrimination governed by Title 39-A, section 353;

B. For any employment agency to fail or refuse to classify properly, refer for employment or otherwise discriminate against any individual because of race or color, sex, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, age, ancestry or national origin, because of the individual's previous assertion of a claim or right under former Title 39

or Title 39-A or because of previous actions taken by the individual that are protected under Title 26, chapter 7, subchapter V-B 5-B; or to comply with an employer's request for the referral of job applicants if a request indicates either directly or indirectly that the employer will not afford full and equal employment opportunities to individuals regardless of their race or color, sex, sexual