House holds historic hearing on transgender discrimination

For the first time a House subcommittee has heard firsthand of widespread discrimination against transgender men and women. The hearing grew out of anger by a large number of gay rights groups after protections for transpeople were stripped from the Employment Non-Discrimination Act -- much of it aimed at Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), ENDA's chief sponsor in the House. The stripped down version, which makes it illegal for employers to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation in hiring, firing, promoting or paying an employee passed the House last November. It has yet to be dealt with by the Senate. As anger mounted, Frank and others in Congress pledged that they would work on separate legislation covering transsexuals. The hearing on June 26, held by the House Education and Labor's Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions, was titled "An Examination of Discrimination Against Transgender Americans." It was coordinated by Frank, Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Subcommittee Chair Rob Andrews (D-NJ). "Like the witnesses before you today, I have been and am still a productive, responsible, dedicated and passionate employee. It is only when we are subject to discriminatory actions and a lack of workplace protections that our work begins to suffer. Without work, we lose income. Without income or savings, we lack access to affordable healthcare, and sometimes healthcare is not even available to us from certain providers just because of our transitional history or status. Without healthcare we often cannot complete transition," Meghan Stabler of the Human Rights Campaign told the subcommittee. "With the stress placed on us, often suicide is a considered option. As you have seen from the witnesses called before you today, we have varying careers, although some no longer are able to work in their chosen profession, if at all. Standing behind us in the fabric of America there are tens of thousands more who face continuing discrimination. Their voices cannot be here today, but I assure you that during any business day you have flown with, sat next to, ordered from, or talked to a transgender person," said Stabler. Another witness was Diane Schroer who had a job offer from the Library of Congress when it learned she is transgendered. The ACLU is currently representing Schroer in a discrimination lawsuit against the Library. Rep. Baldwin told her colleagues, "Corporate America and the American people are way ahead of the Congress in acknowledging the basic truth we hold to be self-evident… that all of us are created equal… and the laws of the land should reflect that equality. It is high time that America declare discrimination based on gender identity and expression unlawful." While the subcommittee heard from a number of transpeople of discrimination they face there currently is no legislation before the House that would protect transmen and women.