Trans community continues to face adversity despite protections
by Joe Siegel
EDGE Contributor
Tuesday Jun 3, 2008


http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=glbt&sc2=features&sc3=&id=75272

Despite advances in protections for transgender individuals, discrimination is still widespread, according to activists.

"Most of the women of trans experience (designated male at birth) have been fired from one or more jobs due to their trans status," says Gavi Ansara, executive director of Lifelines Rhode Island. Lifelines is the state's only statewide non-profit focused on trans, gender variant and inter-sex concerns.

In 2001 Rhode Island became the second state in the nation--following Minnesota in 1993--to adopt a non-discrimination law that clearly prohibits discrimination against transgender people in employment, housing, credit and public accommodations. The law amends all of the state's non-discrimination laws to ensure that transgender people who face discrimination may seek redress in the form of injunctive relief and damages.

All these "protections" are fine, but when you get fired for it, even though you KNOW that's why you were fired, your employer won't admit it.  At least around here, every time you take a job, you sign a form that says you are "at will" - that either you or your employer can terminate employment for any reason or "no reason".  Of course, since you're an individual vs. a business (or worse: a large corporation), how do you fight it and *prove* they fired you for being trans?

This is another thing holding me back - I'm *certain* I'd lose my job...