linkOn your second point: Your company is probably grappling with what to do because it has some obligations toward transgender employees. New York State's Sexual Orientation Nondiscrimination Act, signed into law four years ago, doesn't specifically mention transgender individuals, but some judges have interpreted the law as extending protections to them. In addition, New York's laws banning disability discrimination have been interpreted as applying to transgender people, says Sharon McGowan, staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union's Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Project in Manhattan.
The state's sexual orientation law specifically prohibits discrimination against gays and lesbians in employment and other areas.
It's worth mentioning the confusing local legal landscape: New York City's human rights laws specifically mention transgender people as a protected class. Suffolk County's sexual orientation laws don't mention transgender people, but the law is seen as applying to them, according to the county's Human Rights Commission.
