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Dr. David M Hall, author of Allies at Work: Creating a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Inclusive Work Environment, and Eli R Green, a nationally known expert on transgender inclusion, have teamed up to help companies create fully trans-inclusive workplaces!   

Currently, transgender people face significant discrimination in all settings in their lives, and the workplace is no exception. Many transgender people face verbal harassment from co-workers, are not provided with equitable bathroom accommodations, lack health care benefits that are inclusive of transition-related coverage, are passed over for promotions and face hostile or unwelcoming workplace environments. Studies have shown that:

  • 49% of transpeople have never been offered a job while being out as transgender,*
  • 23% transpeople reported been passed over for promotion  because of their gender identity.**
  • 26% transpeople indicated that they had lost a job or been fired due to their trans identity. Transwomen are twice as likely to have been fired because of their gender identity,**
  • 90% of transpeople reported they were mistreated or harassed at work, or had to take proactive steps to avoid this prejudice.
  • In order to reduce their risk for discrimination, many transpeople elected to delay (57%) or hide (71%) their medical transitions in their place of employment to avoid discrimination.**
  • Once people had medically transitioned, 78% indicated that they felt more comfortable at work and that their job success had increased.**

On the positive side, through the hard work of transpeople and their allies – a growing number of Fortune 500 companies are now including gender identity in their anti-discrimination policies, and as of 2010 18% of the Fortune 100 companies offer health benefits that are inclusive of transition-related care.   Still, there is much work to be done before transgender people enjoy full inclusion in the workplace.

 

*Transgender Need Not Apply:  A Report on Gender Identity Job Discrimination.  Make the Road, May 2010.
** Results from the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, Injustice at Every Turn.  Grant, et al., 2011.