February 17, 2011

Governor Patrick Signs Historic Executive Order Protecting Transgender State Employees

Massachusetts Becomes 21st State Offering Employment Non-Discrimination Protection For Transgender State Workers

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Statement of the Transgender Equal Rights Coalition

Today, Governor Deval Patrick signed an historic Executive Order prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity and expression in state employment. It applies to all state agencies in the Executive Branch, as well as businesses and organizations that contract with the Executive Branch.

“This is going to make a real difference in the lives of transgender state workers and their families,” said Gunner Scott, executive director of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition, and a leading partner in the Transgender Equal Rights Coalition. “No one should have to work in fear that they could lose their job simply because of who they are.”

“Governor Patrick is a true champion for the LGBT community, and we applaud the critical first step he has takenwith this order toward creating a Commonwealth where all hardworking people, including transgender people, have the opportunity to make a living and provide for themselves and their families,” said MassEquality Executive Director Kara Suffredini.

A national survey of 6,450 transgender people released earlier this month by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality found that respondents had twice the rate of unemployment as the general population; 90 percent of those surveyed reported that they had been harassed on the job; and 47 percent said they believed they had been fired, not hired, or denied a promotion because of being transgender. Meanwhile, 26 percent said that they had lost a job due to being transgender. Of the 283 respondents from Massachusetts, 76 percent reported experiencing harassment or mistreatment on the job; 20 percent said they’d lost a job; 17 percent said they had been denied a promotion; and 39 percent said they had not been hired for a job because of their gender identity.

“These statistics show the stark need for a statewide bill to prohibit employment discrimination based on gender identity,” said state Rep. Carl Sciortino, a lead sponsor of the Transgender Equal Rights Bill along with state Rep. Byron Rushing and state Sens. Ben Downing and Sonia Chang Díaz. “No one should work in fear of being fired from their job for reasons that have nothing to do with job performance.”

About the Transgender Equal Rights Coalition
The Transgender Equal Rights Coalition is working to pass “An Act Relative to Transgender Equal Rights.” This law would add gender identity and expression to existing Massachusetts civil rights laws, which currently prohibit discrimination on the basis of age, race, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, sex, and marital status in the areas of employment, housing, public accommodations, education, and credit. The bill would also add offenses regarding gender identity or expression to the list of offenses that are subject to treatment as hate crimes. The bill defines gender identity and expression as “a gender-related identity, appearance, expression, or behavior of an individual, regardless of the individual’s assigned sex at birth.” This is consistent with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination’s past decisions, as well as Boston’s 2002 transgender anti-discrimination ordinance.

Members of the coalition include: Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition; MassEquality; Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders; National Association of Social Workers, MA; Mass Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus; National Organization for Women, MA; ACLU of Massachusetts; and Mass LGBTQ Bar Association.