Transgender Unemployment
In a survey conducted by National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force,13% of transgender respondents reported to be unemployed. That is nearly double the average unemployment rate. Trans unemployment is linked directly to trans incarceration rates. Over 21% of trans people have been incarcerated at some time in their lives (National Transgender Discrimination Survey). Examining that statistic intersectionality, in the same survey over 47%, near half, of black trans people reported they had been incarcerated at some point in their lives (National Transgender Discrimination Survey). The variables that lead so many trans people especially trans people of color to prison are disproportionate …show more content…
The gender binary creates a standard for who is male and who is female. These pressures are dangerous in terms of the ways in which they influence trans people’s ideas of what they should look like. Transitioning is expensive. Obtaining hormones without medical care is also expensive. Facial feminization surgery can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000 (Featured FFS Packages). Society and its gender binary that doesn’t allow for much devince away from male or female boxes forces trans people to pick one or the other. These gender binaries also force trans people to “pass” and passing is expensive. Having to obtain money for transitioning may lead many trans people to choose sex work where the money is fast or drop out of high school to find work to pay for these surgeries. The more a trans person looks like the gender they identify with makes it easier for them to pass and easier to get a job. The cycle of trans unemployment forces trans people to have surgeries that in order to obtain work. These surgeries are extremely expensive and many trans people are forced to do sex work to have these medical …show more content…
There are no state laws in 29 states that explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, and only 32 states that do have laws based on gender identity. As a result many transgender people are fired from their jobs and can’t take any legal action. According to Human Rights Campaign there is a current bill, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, that LBTQIA groups are trying to get passed by Congress to protect the rights of trans workers. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) would provide basic protections against workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity (Employment Non-Discrimination Act 2015). ENDA would afford to all Americans basic employment protection from discrimination based on irrational prejudice (Employment Non-Discrimination Act 2015). The bill is closely modeled on existing civil rights laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Until ENDA is passed transgender people will continued to be discriminated against and fired due to transphobia or force to quit their jobs due to transphobic
In a survey conducted by National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force,13% of transgender respondents reported to be unemployed. That is nearly double the average unemployment rate. Trans unemployment is linked directly to trans incarceration rates. Over 21% of trans people have been incarcerated at some time in their lives (National Transgender Discrimination Survey). Examining that statistic intersectionality, in the same survey over 47%, near half, of black trans people reported they had been incarcerated at some point in their lives (National Transgender Discrimination Survey). The variables that lead so many trans people especially trans people of color to prison are disproportionate …show more content…
The gender binary creates a standard for who is male and who is female. These pressures are dangerous in terms of the ways in which they influence trans people’s ideas of what they should look like. Transitioning is expensive. Obtaining hormones without medical care is also expensive. Facial feminization surgery can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000 (Featured FFS Packages). Society and its gender binary that doesn’t allow for much devince away from male or female boxes forces trans people to pick one or the other. These gender binaries also force trans people to “pass” and passing is expensive. Having to obtain money for transitioning may lead many trans people to choose sex work where the money is fast or drop out of high school to find work to pay for these surgeries. The more a trans person looks like the gender they identify with makes it easier for them to pass and easier to get a job. The cycle of trans unemployment forces trans people to have surgeries that in order to obtain work. These surgeries are extremely expensive and many trans people are forced to do sex work to have these medical …show more content…
There are no state laws in 29 states that explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, and only 32 states that do have laws based on gender identity. As a result many transgender people are fired from their jobs and can’t take any legal action. According to Human Rights Campaign there is a current bill, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, that LBTQIA groups are trying to get passed by Congress to protect the rights of trans workers. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) would provide basic protections against workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity (Employment Non-Discrimination Act 2015). ENDA would afford to all Americans basic employment protection from discrimination based on irrational prejudice (Employment Non-Discrimination Act 2015). The bill is closely modeled on existing civil rights laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Until ENDA is passed transgender people will continued to be discriminated against and fired due to transphobia or force to quit their jobs due to transphobic