Knoxville TGs ask Walmart, "Where is that new non-discrimination policy?"

[Shana A]

Knoxville TGs ask Walmart, "Where is that new non-discrimination policy?"

BEAR A-M Rodgers, Knoxville Transgender Community Examiner
October 12, 2011

http://www.examiner.com/transgender-community-in-knoxville/knoxville-tgs-ask-walmart-where-is-that-new-non-discrimination-policy

Employment is a concern for a lot of Transgender people. In Knoxville and the surrounding communities it is often a choice between keeping your job and transitioning. Start transition, lose job, no money or health insurance for transition. Get a job after transition, get "outed" by family or others, lose job, lose insurance, lose home, and so on. Blessed are the well educated, well trained, invaluable employees that can experience some freedom from those fears.
In late-September queer media outlets touted the headline "Wal-Mart Adds Trans Protections for Employees". This was great news for the perpetually under- or un-employed local Knoxville-area Transgender residents.

[...]

A number of identified transgender Knoxvillians work or have worked for area Walmart stores. What is their take on all this when asked at a recent gathering?

    Employee 1: I asked to have my chosen name on my uniform ID tag even though my paperwork is in my birth name, I was told no way and I would be fired if I did it without permission.

[Annah]

if i gave a reason why I do not like Wal*Mart, the list would turn into a novel.

[Shana A]

A Progressive Wal-Mart: Too Good to be True?

Oct 13, 2011
Daryl Bridges is the Director/Lead Organizer at the Massachusetts Committee for Interfaith Worker Justice.

http://www.standingonthesideoflove.org/blog/a-progressive-wal-mart-too-good-to-be-true/

Recently Wal-Mart has been trumpeting their transgender non-discrimination statement and I agree it is a lovely gesture; however, I fear this is nothing more than an "on paper" change. Wal-Mart has a well documented history of categorically discriminating against women, minorities, and people of non-heteronomative sexual orientations/identities. Wal-Mart takes great care to create a shield from liability by instituting corporate policy that forbids these actions and promise equal pay, equal opportunity for advancement, and equal voice. Instead they enforce discrimination by practice selectively promoting and giving undesirable shifts to those they do not want to see climb the corporate ladder. Most recently Wal-Mart has seen the triumph of these tactics when the courts ruled that a class-action lawsuit alleging gender discrimination could not proceed with one of the main cited reasons being that Wal-Mart has a corporate policy against gender discrimination.

[...]

Wal-Mart cannot be trusted to police itself and any discussion about their practices should be met with a call to accountability. Wal-Mart has not changed. They still fire workers for talking about unions. They still discriminate against women and minorities. They still destroy ten jobs for every three they make. They still create and maintain sweatshops and they still pay huge sums into governments that murder and imprison transgendered persons. Wal-Mart has learned to talk the talk but they have not yet chosen to Stand on the Side of Love.