Transgender Employees

In the current day, a major demographic that faces discrimination is the LGBT community. The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population continue to face disadvantages despite other major strides in the development of equal rights for all. Transgender individuals are at greatest risk of violence and torture, even execution. Discrimination is visible in all aspects of society, including the workplace, schools and healthcare facilities. The monumental strides made in the US need to be praised and emulated globally. Despite the progress the US has made to date, enviable by many other nations, have they done enough for transgender people?

The term 'Transgender' was not coined until 1971, making it relatively recent. (Whittle,S. 2010). This,
Thankfully, it has been decided by; The Federal courts, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) that discrimination because a person is transgender or gender non-conforming constitutes illegal sex discrimination (National Centre for Transgender Equality. 2014). This has been enforced in places of employment by the ‘Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964’. This legally binding act prohibits sex discrimination in employment and applies to any employer with at least 15 employees. As any discrimination against transgender employee is not tolerated, complaints of anti-transgender job discrimination anywhere in the country can be filed with the EEOC (National Centre for Transgender Equality.
In June 2010, the State Department announced a new policy to issue passports that reflect a person’s current gender when either a previous passport or other personal documentation presented by an applicant reflects a different gender (National Centre for Transgender Equality. 2014). In order for an adapted passport to be obtained, a transgender individual needs to submit a certification from a physician confirming that he or she has had appropriate clinical treatment for gender transition. This policy replaces the Department’s old policy, which required documentation of sex reassignment surgery. This current policy includes transgender minors however all passport applications for minors are subject to special parental consent requirements (National Centre for Transgender Equality. 2014). Having a passport stating your preferred and current gender is a major advancement in the rights for the transgender population, it gives them the respect they