I am starting a donation animal clinic to serve the poor and immigrant
population of my community. Traditional veterinary care is getting so
expensive that many pets are put down because the owners cannot afford
treatment, and it is very sad to have that happen. I want to help. I
am a veterinarian and have purchased a home so that i can both live
there and provide this low cost care. However, the city where i live
has said that i have a home based business. Their laws prohibit me
from employing anyone except family members. I live alone and have no
family members. I cannot open as i cannot hold animals for treatment,
administer anesthetics for surgery etc. by myself. Also, it is
difficult to get liability insurance if i do not have anyone to help
hold a pet. I am not gay, but if i were gay, this in my view would be
a discriminatory practice. My question is this: the city receives lots
of federal funding...for schools, colleges, airports....does EEO rules
allow cities who get federal funding to discriminate on their rules
and policies? (not confined to hiring practices). Thank you for any
help you may provide. dean wyatt d.v.m.

I'm not sure why you feel that you are being discriminated against and
why being gay would matter (a rather odd comment) It sounds like a
blanket law regulating at home businesses. Maybe this has something to
do with zoning laws in your area. Where do you live?

Ignorance of the law is no excuse.  If the law was in force before you
bought your  place, there is no discrimination or other impingement of
your rights (any kind of situation in which you as an individual were
being treated differently than any other person in the situation would
be).
I respect your idealistic endeavor, but in our legally encompassed
society, every individual is responsible for knowing what the law is.

But  -  eh eh! -  your mention about not being gay:  If you had an
assistant of either sex who lived in the house and was willing to
claim that you were cohabiting, and your state recognized or just
treated such a relationship as equivalent to marriage ...
If you could otherwise have a pet clinic in your home in that street,
just operating by yourself, then maybe (big MAYBE) you could get away
with it on the ground that there was discrimination in refusing to
accept that your assistant was the same as a family member.

If you want to try that, check with a lawyer first this time.

As the disclaimer below points out, this is no professional or legal advice.