Transgender Employees bank on Gender Identity Policies
‘œThis is a time for healing, not more conflict.’ ‘“ Susan Stanton, fired transgender City Manager of Largo, Florida
Over the years, a record number of U.S. companies have expanded benefits and protections for their LGBT employees. According to the Human Rights Campaign, ‘œMore and more companies are including LGBT people in their non-discrimination policies and offering benefits to employees’ domestic partners.’
As a lesbian consumer and investor, I’m supposed to have more trust for these companies’¦ at least that’s what the research concludes. Surveys conducted by Harris Interactive and Witeck’“Combs Communications, Inc. reveal that, ‘œConsumers who self-identify as LGBT have deeper trust for products and brands that not only target gay consumers, but even more so for products offered by companies that have progressive policies toward gay and lesbian employees.’
The HRC rates companies (on a scale of zero to 100) with its Corporate Equality Index by noting how they treat LGBT workers, customers and investors. It behooves companies to try and improve their ranking. Why? According to Kirk Snyder, an author and expert on gays in the workplace, ‘œIf your employees are happy, you’re going to make more money because they are also going to be more productive, creative and committed to doing excellent work.’
I’ve always been an out, happy and productive employee. U.S. companies have made great strides in the past twenty years and I’ve certainly benefited from safe work environments and domestic partnership benefits. But unfortunately, the transgender community is still trying to catch up to these same protections offered to many of us as gay and lesbian employees.
According to HRC, ‘œTransgender employees can present unique workplace challenges. Transitioning employees ‘“ those who are moving outside the socially accepted standards of dress, physiology and/or behavior of their birth gender ‘“ often cannot avoid challenging community standards about what is gender-appropriate self-identification, appearance or expression. Furthermore, little legal protection exists for workplace gender non-conformity.’
Hopefully, things are improving. In April, a well-known sportswriter at The Los Angeles Times announced to readers her intent to change her byline along with her gender. Mike Penner is transitioning to Christine Daniels. In a John Ireland interview, Daniels indicated that, ‘œHer employer’s approach to the situation helped normalize her gender-switch.’
Not everyone is so fortunate. Jamison Green, a respected leader within the transgender movement indicated, ‘œI’ve met scores of highly educated, otherwise successful people who have either lost everything when they couldn’t retain their employment or find a new job once their transness became known.’
So how kind are companies with regards to their gender identity policies? Nearly 70 companies offer comprehensive transgender health benefits according to HRC’s State of the Workplace 2006-2007. They write, ‘œCompanies such as Eastman Kodak and American Express provide health benefits covering mental health counseling, hormone therapy, medical visits and surgical procedures, in addition to short-term medical leave, without exclusion for treatments relating to a gender transition or reassignment.’
Of the Fortune 10, five prohibit discrimination based on gender identity, but there are two that do not provide domestic partner benefits or comprehensive non-discrimination policies. If you’re a transgender person, don’t expect a thriving career there and perhaps, as consumers and investors, we should think twice about sending our dollars their way.
Want more information on this topic? Click here for workplace gender transition guidelines. If more people understand what it means to be transgender and how they suffer from discrimination, then the more likely things will improve at U.S. companies. Knowledge is power!
Thanks so much for calling attention to this, Nina. I’m a grad student at a major university and was shocked yesterday when, in my seminar on social justice, my professor made the assertion that workplace discrimination no longer exists in America. We see what we want to see, I suppose.
Workplace and career issues are up there with family banishment as major sources for depression and dissatisfaction for transgendered people.
An additional problem transgender people face with protection in the workplace is policies not being honored or HR giving inaccurate answers because they don’t understand the intricacies of insurance policies. I’ve lost track of the number of friends who have been told by HR that their time off for surgery would be covered by short term disability, only to have the claim come back denied. (The same applied to HRC’s database of coverage for transgendered employees which is notoriously inaccurate due to no fault of HRC.)
It’s just not firing and hiring. Before I transitioned, I was approved for any job move I put in for. In the last 4 years I put in close to 20 job transfers and was denied every one. In an at will state, it’s simply a matter of do you want to keep your job. I finally got the job I wanted, because no one else signed up. There’s more than one way to keep a person down.
What’s kind of ironic, is that HRC has NEVER hired a transwoman…
EVER.
Kinda ironic, dontcha think?
“What’s kind of ironic, is that HRC has NEVER hired a transwoman…”
That’s really damning, I’ll have to let the transwoman I know who works there know. Maybe she can do something about it.
LOL. Name her.
If you’re talking about Donna Rose, she doesn’t work for HRC, she’s on their board. She PAYS to be on that. She isn’t a paid employee.
No I’m not talking about Donna Rose. And no, as you should be aware, I cannot out someone without their permission.
Eppur si muove
So you know, but you can’t say who it is? I never knew that being an employee of HRC was something you had to be covert about. They’re afraid to admit they work for HRC in public?
Your claim has no credibility if it’s not provable.