my employers certainly have a respect and dignity policy which has clauses particularly representative of those who wish to..or have changed Gender. i know of one girl who has succesfully transitioned and seems to be having no issues.....

my employers are part civil service answerable to the scottish executive.

In America there are no overriding laws to protect TGs at all. It is entirely up to the employer to be accepting or not. This regional laws and rules with no direct laws makes it very difficult, if not nearly impossible. There are many public occupations such as teaching that would almost never accept a TG. There are some, like Google and Microsoft that have policies that are open and accepting, however. Perhaps there is a need to have a uniform message and voice - international in scope and range to help present these ideas along with harassment and the like to the public. Making the message one that shows all of us as people with the same needs and wants as all others - to be judged for our capabilities and values - would be a great thing.

Washington state has no laws that I know of,other than federal ones.But I'd not wear skirt and heels to do my job anyway.

In Australia, discrimination per se  is illegal. Whether it is based upon; race, religion, sex, sexual identification or marital status, discrimination in all its forms is both unacceptable and intolerable.

Of course, it is much easier to be from a particular race or ethnic group, follow a certain religion, be male or female, be single or married than it is to be transsexual. I don't know of anyone who openly identifies themselves as Bisexual but if they choose to be, Gays and Lesbians are highly visible in the work place.

 

Of course, this is a cursory reply and if I get a chance I will make a more considered response. My apologies, but I just can't get my hands on what I want for the time being.

 

Chalice         

A while back, I transitioned at work.  The company I worked for was very supportive.  For that matter, I was told by several other employees that my co-workers were told to accept me or lose their jobs.  I know others who transitioned working for this same employer and they've told me the same thing.

 

But, there was no corporate support in terms of educating co-workers.  Other employees tolerated me. By tolerating I mean that didn't want to lose their job, so they put up with me.  It took about 3 months before I really started to notice co-workers avoiding me.  I ate lunch alone.  I was a technical lead and my input was no longer sought.  I was left off mailing lists.  And on and on.  My choices were to find another job within the company or find another job outside the company.  

 

Bottom line, while the company supported diversity at the corporate level and made sure employees were not harassed, they did nothing to educate employees.

Cristine, Shye (GS Admin) said:

The Rights of Transgender People in Washington State

This brochure is designed to help transgender persons understand their legal rights in Washington State. This brochure is not meant to provide legal advice. The current legal system assumes individuals either identify as one gender, male or female. While this guide provides an understanding of the current legal system, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) recognizes that many people do not identify as male or female. In fact, a transgender individual may identify with a specific gender, both genders or neither gender.

April 2012 

Discrimination & Harassment

 Are there laws that clearly prohibit discrimination against transgender people?

Yes. The Washington Law Against Discrimination (WLAD) protects people from discrimination based on gender expression or actual or perceived gender identity in these areas:

• places of public accommodation (i.e., places that serve the public), including restaurants, hotels, and public schools;

• housing, including the renting, buying, and selling of homes;

• employment, specifically in state, municipal, and private workplaces with eight or more employees;

• the extension of credit;

• and insurance transactions.

Washington law also protects against violence, threats, and bullying motivated by a victim’s gender expression or identity

Do laws that prohibit sex discrimination protect transgender people?

Yes. The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals – whose jurisdiction includes Washington – has made clear that transgender persons are protected from sexual harassment and discrimination based on their gender expression or identity under the federal Title VII law and other sex discrimination statutes, including the WLAD. And, recently the U.S.

Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) indicated that a property manager’s discrimination against a person on the basis of such person’s gender expression or identity may constitute illegal discrimination on the basis of sex under the Fair Housing Act, though courts have yet to rule on this

More information available here:

The Rights of Transgender People in Washington State 

 

This post was edited by Former Member at April 21, 2013 6:17 AM BST

Cristine, Shye (GS Admin) said:

Tell you what Chalice, why don't you find stuff out instead of re-posting the whole piece. You're a bit quick off the mark when I am in the process of editing it.  I find your comments offensive and nit picking so I have deleted my post and left you to it.

I only went to fix the link and thought I might tidy up while I was there.

Just trying to help. Sorry.

 

 

 

Transgender Law Centre

Making Authentic Lives Possible.

Employment Non-Discrimination Laws

There appears to be three categories of protection for LGBT persons in the USA. The first category is inclusive and affords protections to LGBT. The second category is less pervasive and excludes Transgender persons. The last category excludes LGBT.

Employment non-discrimination law covers sexual orientation and gender identity (16 states + D.C.)

Employment non-discrimination law covers only sexual orientation, but federal law prohibits discrimination against transgender and gender non-conforming people (see note) (5 states)

No employment non-discrimination law covering sexual orientation or gender identity, but federal law prohibits discrimination against transgender and gender non-conforming people (see note) (29 states) 

Note: A 2012 ruling by the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission extends Title VII's prohibition on sex discrimination to prohibit discrimination against transgender and gender non-conforming people.

Percent of LGBT Population Covered by Laws 

In these percentages there is quite clearly an intersection between States accepting sexual orientation and those accepting gender identity so that they still add up to 100%

39% of LGBT population live in states prohibiting employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

48% of LGBT population live in states prohibiting employment discrimination based on sexual orientation

52% of LGBT population live in states that do not prohibit employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity

 

adapted from;

Employment Non-Discrimination Laws, from Equality Maps, in Issues, Transgender Law Centre: Making Authentic Lives Possible. accessed: April 21, 2013.

http://transgenderlawcenter.org/

 

To my mind, what this example of the Equality Laws in the USA shows is that sexual orientation is still considered a subset of human sexuality and transgender is being used as a further subcategory of sexual identity to the neglect of social cohesion and economic stability. In other words, a false dichotomy and artificial division in human sexuality is being employed instead of taking the evident spectrum or continuum in sexual identity and profiting from those human resources.

Thanks to Robin B for the linky

#Cristine, are you happy now?  You know! You only had to ask.

<3

Chalice

This post was edited by Former Member at April 21, 2013 2:32 AM BST

Thank You Cristine,for the link. Quite interesting.But I'm not sure if many people here in Washington realize it even exists.
Hugs,Jan

Small issue,showed up error 404. Site not found.Cristine,I'd be very gratefull if you could send me the link ,please? Hugs,Jan

jan jefferies said:
Small issue, showed up error 404.  Site not found. Cristine, I'd be very gratefull if you could send me the link, please? Hugs, Jan

The link was working: try this The Rights of Transgender People in Washington State

 

Its a team effort, unofficially. lol

I am so dead!  ;-)

 

CB 

 

That worked.Thank you Cristine!Rather interesting.I've had no issues,but I do know some who have. seems police do not know the law.

This post was edited by Former Member at April 21, 2013 2:00 PM BST

This is interesting but I would also be interested to hear about the personal stories. How did you manager your own transitions in the workplace. It's all very well to know the law and the employment rights of TG people but this does not always mean that there are no issues for those girls. I'm sure some have transitioned at work easily, and others have lost their jobs over it. Others are finding it very difficult to gain employment because of their being TG. 

 

So, what's your story?

 

Nikki