Friday, August 10, 2012

Good News, I Hope

The Washington Post Jobs section starts with a half-page adticle (not sure if it's an ad or an article) about some aspect of job hunting.  Often they're about new entrants, and I skip those.  Sometimes they're for "over 50s" and I glance at them.  Last month there was one headed "Understanding the EEOC Process" which I gave a once-over.  I don't really know why ~ it doesn't interest me ~ but I'm glad I did.  There were two subheads and the second was:

Recent EEOC activity paves way for transgender equality

I searched the web in vain for this little article, but I wanted to share it.  So I typed it in.  Any errors are my own.

There have been very recent achievements for one particular community.  On April 20, the EEOC stated that it is discriminatory to deny employment to a person based on his or her gender identity, which followed a number of federal appellate and trial court decisions that gender-identity discrimination equates with sex discrimination.

This action was prompted when a transgender woman named Mia Macy was denied employment with a federal agency after the agency learned of her situation and transition.  The Transgender Law Center (TLC) brought Macy's case forward, and its executive director, Masen Davis, said, "This is a historic day for human rights in the United States... starting today, transgender and gender non-conforming people now have legal recourse if they face discrimination on the job.  We no longer have to be silent when we are fired or not hired simply for being who we are."

Macy originally submitted her notification of this discriminatory action to the TLC, after which the ruling was reported on April 23 by Metro Weekly, D.C.'s weekly magazine for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.  Initially, Macy's claims were denied and considered ineligible under Title VII.  Thus, Macy appealed her claim to the EEOC, and she was notified of its acceptance on May 18.

Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality noted that there are more steps to take from here.  In an interview with Metro Weekly, she said there is a need to "keep educating employers that they now have a legal obligation to follow."  She also stated, "We keep educating trans people that they have rights that they may not have thought they did have."

2 comments:

  1. This is good news and, as you note, it has been developing over time and is continuing to develop over time.

    In the first instance I suspect that it will be those that live full time in their preferred gender that lead the way but I see plenty of room in the developing practices to permit part time dressing as well.

    We had a non-transitioned TS secretary work for us back in the 1990s. While she still looked somewhat manish (5'10"-6' tall, large hands and feet, manish facial features) she presented as a properly attired female secretary. These were the days prior to office casual wear so all the men were in suits and the woman wore business attire.

    She was shy and mostly kept to herself but she was pleasant and a competent secretary. One day she never came back to work and I learned some time later that she died from complications from AIDS. No one ever talked about her gender...the subject simply did not come up. I never took it upon myself to ever talk to her about her gender. I simply thought that she was entitled to her privacy. We did exchage normal pleasantries, like we would with any other co-worker.

    The times they are a changing.


    Pat

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  2. Thank you for the support, I Mia Macy, follow me on twitter miamariemacy. again thank you

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