Posted on

Obama Adds Protections

President Obama will sign executive orders to grant employees working for federal contractors and federal workers freedom from discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

That is, he’s doing what Congress – the House, specifically – has not done by not yet having passed ENDA.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin, praised Obama for “showing strong leadership taking this historic action to advance equality in our country.”

But, Baldwin emphasized, Congress still must act. “The fight to pass on to the next generation an America that is more equal not less does not end with the president’s signature,” she said. “We have more work to do. Every American deserves the freedom to work free from discrimination and last year the Senate found common ground, passing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act with strong bipartisan support. I will continue to call on the House to put progress ahead of politics and give the Senate-passed ENDA an up or down vote because this legislation provides workplace protections that millions more Americans need and deserve today.”

I’m not convinced Congress will act, however, so at least there’s something in place now.

Posted on

ATP: Association of Transgender Professionals

A press release about the launch of ATP crossed my desk the other day, which read in part:

New York, NY, June 7, 2013 – The Association of Transgender Professionals (ATP), was formally dedicated this week, according to ATP Executive Director, Denise Norris and endorsed by a national advisory board of voluntary leaders and allies.

The association is intended primarily to serve people who have, had or will have non-conforming gender expressions/identities and seek to advance their professional careers.

The goal of this group is to encourage the networking and mentoring which strengthens careers and promotes the next generation of leaders.

To learn more about the Association of Transgender Professionals and its vision and goals, please visit www.transgenderprofessionals.org and view an introductory video on You Tube.

It seems they’ve also received a Calamus challenge grant for $25k, which means that every dollar donated will be matched by Calamus.

Good luck to you, ATP!

Posted on

Trans Employment

CNN ran this article on trans people and employment and economics a few days ago and it occurred to me that perhaps this is new news to some people. It’s a known problem within the trans universe, although of course I know plenty of well-employed, well paid trans people as well – at universities, of course, but also at Google and Twitter, and there are quite a few like Babs Siperstein (in the video) who decided to go their own way and so not worry about discrimination from a manager or boss.

But as with all things the intersectional issues are huge: education, previous employment, the visibility of a job; ethnicity, race, language skills; support from family, faith community, and work — all of these aspects of a trans person’s existence are highly variable. So much can be the luck of the draw; I don’t think it’s a coincidence that so many trans people are in tech because there is so much more of an emphasis on being excruciatingly smart and capable in very demanding and specific ways; someone, for instance, who has had a life in sales is not going to be as likely to keep a job — although of course a good salesperson shouldn’t have to rely on gender normativity to be able to sell a product.

(I do, as ever, feel the need to point out that it’s pretty cool that CNN is covering issues like this, and not in the “shocking expose” bullshit kind of way.)

Thoughts? If you’ve got a story to tell, feel free. Also, if you need a job or have a job, post those here too.

Posted on

The Task Force is Hiring

A search has just been launched to fill two key permanent full time positions here at the Task Force: HR Director & Board Liaison. Will you please forward this link and the attached job descriptions to people you know over the next 3 days? It sounds like applications will begin being reviewed next week. http://www.thetaskforce.org/about_us/employment

The Task Force is an equal opportunity employer. Women, transgender people, and people of color are especially encouraged to apply. The Trans Audit Committee, which I’m a part of, would love to see a pool of gender non-conforming and transgender candidates applying for these jobs. For your information, in addition to our general benefits package for full time employees, The Task Force also offers a health supplement for gender identity-related care.

The functions of these positions are very important to executing the mission of the Task Force. We will be working expeditiously to fill them. Here is a little more about each job:

Human Resources Director –

The Human Resources Director is responsible for all aspects of human resources, including the Task Force’s programs for recruiting, orientation, workplace training, and staff performance evaluation.

Executive office Board Liaison –

The Executive Office Board Liaison serves as the primary staff support to the boards of directors of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Foundation and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund. Continue reading “The Task Force is Hiring”

Posted on

Reader Letter

There’s a very nice letter from a reader of Insight Into Diversity about the article on transgender people in employment that was in last month’s issue. She writes:

Hundreds of the top employers in our country don’t think so (IBM, Xerox, Apple, Starbucks, universities, city and county governments, to name just a few). Thanks to education, activism, and the medical profession the reality is that many employers are now supporting transgender workers in ways never seen before. They do this because it makes business sense to retain talented and very loyal employees. They have effectively integrated transgender employees into their workforces by developing trans-friendly policies, insurance coverage providing for trans-health related services including surgeries, and have begun working hard to retain their talented employees and managers. Speaking of policies, I differ from the author on a small but important point: Most employers realize that requiring transgender employees to use specific bathrooms is not inclusion, so their employees use the bathroom appropriate to their expressed gender.

I’m even more pleased to have been a part of it.

Posted on

Trans in the Workplace

A magazine called Insight Into Diversity recently did an article on transgender issues in the workplace. I was interviewed for it, as were Jillian Weiss, author of Transgender Workplace Diversity and Vanessa Sheridan, author of The Complete Guide to Transgender in the Workplace, amongst others.

Dr. Weiss indicates that the issue of being transgender is increasingly coming to the fore. More people are in an environment where they feel more comfortable coming out, so more employers will be experiencing transitioning employees. “The time to prepare,” she says, “is now. If you have a decent size workforce, it’s likely that you will deal with a transitioning employee. It’s a question of when, not if.”

Sheridan agrees that the acceptance factor is growing. “It’s a reality of business life now,” she says. “The general public needs to be aware that transgender individuals are coming out in record numbers and that they are more visible in the community than ever before. It’s a social phenomenon gaining
increasing visibility.”

The article starts on p. 22 of the .pdf.

Posted on

DC Trans Coalition Findings: Not Good

from the DC Trans Coalition:

Washington, DC – The DC Trans Coalition today released summary findings from the first phase of its ongoing Needs Assessment Project, which found that transgender, transsexual, and gender non-conforming people in the District of Columbia – regardless of race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status – have serious concerns about their safety as they go about their everyday lives. Other findings include severe underemployment, and major difficulties accessing adequate healthcare.

“This needs assessment is the first study of its kind in DC in over a decade, and is the first trans needs study in the nation to deploy community mapping as a research technique,” said Elijah Edelman, one of the needs assessment coordinators. Over 100 trans residents in DC participated in a series of roundtable discussions where they mapped Washington, DC as a trans city, and suggested questions for the survey portion of the study. “The maps create a qualitative picture of DC that a survey simply can’t provide, and the discussion around their creation will help us craft a survey that truly investigates the community’s concerns,” Edelman said.

The mapping exercise also identified places where trans people spend their time and access resources across the city. The study found that while over half of participants mapped areas commonly referred to as sex work “strolls,” many participants mentioned these not as places where they seek income, but rather as places where they interact with their friends. “Roundtable participants overwhelmingly described the strolls as places where – despite the high chances of facing harassment or arrest – trans people go to look out for their friends, distribute resources, and support one another,” said Sadie Ryanne Vashti, a DCTC organizer. “We are concerned that some of the central places where trans people build communities are also some of the most heavily policed areas in the city, thanks to policies like the ‘Prostitution Free Zones,’” Vashti added.

The DC Trans Coalition has received a grant from the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law to conduct the survey phase of the Needs Assessment Project. DCTC is actively soliciting additional funding to support the research and economic empowerment components of this project. Donations are fully tax-deductible thanks to the fiscal sponsorship of AGREAA – The Association for Gender Research, Education, Academia and Action.

To download the summary findings from phase one of the DC Trans Needs Assessment, or to donate to the project, visit www.dctranscoalition.org.

(You can find them on Facebook as well, of course.)

Posted on

Discrimination Suit: Man Enough

A man whose job it was to make sure men in recovery don’t switch their urine for someone else’s got fired because he wasn’t born with a penis.

TLDEF brought the case, which has now been reported in The New York Times.

So here’s how you tell this is discrimination: if a man who had lost his penis in an accident had this job, no one would have fired him for being penis-less. If a man who had hypospadias & had to pee sitting down had this job, likewise. If a man who had a penis that required a catheter for him to pee had this job, he wouldn’t have been fired.

THUS: El’Jai Devoureau was fired for being trans. As a culture, we still haven’t worked out how wholly incorrect this “genitals at birth determine gender for a lifetime” idea is.

Posted on

NCTE Looking to Hire New Communications Person

I have good news and bad news. First the bad:
NCTE’s amazing communications person, Justin Tanis, is moving back to the Bay Area and taking a new job. Justin has provided NCTE with over 5 years of insightful strategic thinking, savvy communications, superb educational materials, and professional trainings for everyone from our members, to allies and government agencies. It’s hard to hold on to talent like that and we’re not surprised he was sought after by a smart allied organization.

The good news is that we are now hiring someone – maybe you – who is looking to be a part of an amazing team of mission-driven, wonderful people. As a small organization the communications staff person will be a key part of our team and involved in strategic discussions. The ideal candidate will be a communications person who is a go-getter with their own ideas, a burning passion, and collaborative spirit. You’ll fit in nicely if you take this work very seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously. Juggling skills are optional.

Here’s the announcement. Please share it with interested people.

Job Description
As NCTE’s Communications staff person you will be involved in all aspects of the organization’s publications, and media relations, as well as web, email, and telephonic communications. This person will provide the information and tools that educate our members, allies, policymakers and the general public and that then motivate and mobilize our members and allies to take action in pursuit of our common goals. NCTE will consider applicants within a range of experience levels and will tailor the job to fit the right person. An experienced Communications expert will play a major leadership role in crafting messages and setting strategy. This position provides potential for growth with the organization.

Continue reading “NCTE Looking to Hire New Communications Person”