(no subject)

[dolari]

Cross-reference: http://www.livejournal.com/~jenndolari/2002/12/02/ (5:49pm)
Cross-reference: http://www.livejournal.com/~jenndolari/2002/12/18/ (Monday)
Cross-reference: http://www.livejournal.com/~jenndolari/2003/11/05/



http://www.dailytexanonline.com/news/2004/06/17/StateLocal/City-Council.Adds.Protection.For.gender.Identity.To.Policy-688196.shtml

The University of Texas at Austin

Thursday, June 17, 2004

City Council adds protection for 'gender identity' to policy

Transgender people receive protection from discrimination
By Rotimi Agbabiaka

Members of Austin's transgender community can count the city as an ally
following an Austin City Council decision last week to pass an ordinance
adding "gender identity" to the classifications protected against
discrimination in housing, public accommodation and employment.

"It's one of the biggest issues in the transgendered community
nationwide,"
said Lisa Scheps, chair of Transgender Advocates of Central Texas, a group
formed about a year-and-a-half ago with the objective of helping push
through this ordinance.

Scheps said the lack of protection really hit hard due to the inability of
transgender people to hide their status.

"You can't really stay in the closet," she said. "Before this, you could
lose your job or your housing based on your status as a transgender
person."

With this new protection, Austinites who experience discrimination based
on
gender identity have a voice. The lack of a means to report such
discrimination made it difficult to accurately estimate its frequency in
Austin.

"Up until now people have not had a forum to make complaints," Scheps
said.
"All we've had has been mainly hearsay."

Transgender advocacy groups have been pushing for this development for
about
three years, Scheps said. Over the past year, her organization has worked
in
close conjunction with city officials to help draft the ordinance.

The city's Human Resources Department worked with the Austin Human Rights
Commission to propose this ordinance and bring the city's
antidiscrimination
laws up-to-date. The passing of similar ordinances in Dallas in 2002 and
El
Paso in 2003 helped spur the city into action, said Vanessa Downey-Little,
director of human resources for the city. So far, about 71 municipalities
and four states nationwide have enacted similar laws.

"The commission wanted [Austin] to be one of these cities," said
Downey-Little.

The ordinance will not affect state or federal employees like those at the
University, which does not include gender identity as a protected
classification in its equal opportunity code.

"We are governed by equal employment opportunity guidelines at the federal
and state levels," said Kyle Cavanaugh, associate vice president for human
resources at the University.

He said federal law and Texas law don't provide protection based on gender
identity, and it doesn't look like that will change anytime soon.

"I, personally, haven't seen a lot of push on the federal level,"
Cavanaugh
said.

Meanwhile, city officials and transgender advocacy groups will try to
spread
awareness of the ordinance around the city.

"All that remains now is making sure that there's compliance," said
Scheps.



This is why if someone asks if I'm from Texas, I say "No, I'm from Austin." :)

Comments

[nathan-r.livejournal.com]

Awesome! Congratulations, City of Austin. (Incidentally, Maryland passed a similar law a couple of years ago. :) )

Kind of makes up for the cosmic flip-off, don't it?

[nekonikoban.livejournal.com]

That's wonderful. Hopefully this will prevent people having to deal with the terrible experiences you have had with these companies (re: bathroom apartheid and classification). Thank you for posting it, I am a happy kitty today *^-^*