Did you know that the first trans-inclusive legislation goes back to 1975? I didn't. Did you know that 32 years later it is deja vu all over again, vis-a-vis debating what to include and how?
From the HRC's last workplace studies release (page 13), the rise in companies recognizing gender identity and gender expression:
Does that growth rate look like "11 years" of toil? Here's another, showing the trend:
Until 1999, there were few transgender H.R. policies at employers, and none at large employers. However, policy adoption began to rise in 1997 and began a rapid rise in 2001. ... [in 2004] 200 companies ... 50 companies of the Fortune 500.
Cheryl Jacques in 2004:
In fact, recent polling shows 61 percent of registered voters and 85 percent of registered GLBT voters support workplace protections for transgender people.
... starts to look like that other white elephant walking around Congress, DADT.
The NGLTF 104 pages on transgender history and equality measures before the law. Did you know that the first trans-inclusive legislation goes back to 1975? I didn't. Did you know that 32 years later it is deja vu all over again, vis-a-vis debating what to include and how?
It's not too late to send a Congressman to boot camp:
From Cornell's highly respected ILR School:
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
DV214 $ 695.00
Scheduled dates: [next is November 29th in New York]
In many workplaces, diversity training and education either ignores the issues of sexual orientation and gender identity or addresses these issues in a superficial way. This workshop is designed to prepare organizations, trainers, and other interested parties with a step-by-step guide for effectively addressing sexual orientation and gender identity in the workplace.
DV214 $ 695.00
Scheduled dates: [next is November 29th in New York]
In many workplaces, diversity training and education either ignores the issues of sexual orientation and gender identity or addresses these issues in a superficial way. This workshop is designed to prepare organizations, trainers, and other interested parties with a step-by-step guide for effectively addressing sexual orientation and gender identity in the workplace.
From the APA.
Symbolic legislation? Here is the current map of non-discrimination statues from NGLTF.
That doesn't include local ordinances, but that map is hardly a boat full of fish. True, there are ways around many (if not most) employment laws; but for every clever one there is probably at least one dumb one.
The rest of the English speaking world.
Britain dealt with gender-identity in what looks like a fairly comprehensive way in 2004. Yes. 3 years ago. (Go to "Schedule 6" at the very end of the document).
Our friends to the North appear to be less comprehensive, but moving forward just fine:
Gender identity is another story. The North West Territories is the only jurisdiction in Canada that lists gender identity specifically as a protected ground in its human rights legislation. Manitoba is a close second with its reference to protecting "gender-determined characteristics." Alberta references gender. But, that's it. In other provinces, human rights legislation has generally been interpreted to include gender identity under the protected characteristic "sex". Beyond that, there are only a handful of legal decisions in Canada that address discrimination in employment on the basis of gender identity. Now, that does not mean that Commissions haven't been talking about gender identity and trying to raise awareness about discrimination and harassment faced by transsexuals and transgendered persons. For example, click here to read the Ontario Human Rights Commission's Policy on Discrimination and Harassment because of Gender Identity.
[more on the international as it becomes available]
