Transgender issue alters hiring policy
Saturday, May 22, 2010
By Teresa F. Lindeman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10142/1059957-407.stmAmerican Eagle Outfitters, that bastion of collegiate clothes suitable for going to class and hanging out at football games, has become an unlikely symbol in the battle for equal treatment of transgender job applicants.
The South Side-based teen retail chain has worked out a settlement with the New York attorney general's office that includes revising companywide policies on hiring, as well as instituting formal training programs for staff on the issue.
"We applaud American Eagle for taking leadership on this critical issue," said Irene Tung, supervising organizer with activist group Make The Road New York, in an e-mail. "The steps they are taking will make a huge difference in the lives of thousands of job-seekers who have been turned away because of their gender identity or expression. We hope other companies follow their lead."
