Why ENDA Matters: True Stories of Anti-LGBT Employment Discrimination
Filed by: Guest Blogger
November 22, 2009 10:00 AM
http://www.bilerico.com/2009/11/why_enda_matters_true_stories_of_anti-lgbt_employm_2.phpEditors' Note: To illustrate why Congress must pass the Employment Non Discrimination Act (ENDA), a federal law that would ban discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the workplace, we will be posting the firsthand accounts of people from across the nation who have been fired, refused a job, or harassed in the workplace because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. This summer the ACLU put out a call for stories, and these are just a fraction of stories they received.
Brianne Rivera of Hollywood, Florida
I was hired as a Technical Support Specialist for Broward College in August 2007. Computer repair is my passion, and I liked the job because I could use my technical knowledge and experience to troubleshoot computer hardware and software on a daily basis. I also learned to like the social interaction between myself and the users whose computers I was repairing. I was given a letter stating that I was dependable, able to work independently and a skilled technician.
About two months prior to my firing from the college, I came out to my boss as a transgender lesbian. I told him that I was undergoing hormone therapy and that I would be transitioning on the job.
