TS/TV/CD Love Blog - Because Of Your Uniqueness

Today, some 40 percent of people in the United States live in an area where there’s some form of legal protection for transgenderpeople. In addition to the 13 states with the passage of transgender-inclusive anti-discrimination laws., more than 100 jurisdictions, including the District of Columbia, have added a transgender provision to their antidiscrimination laws. Before 2001, Minnesota was the only state to have done so. Soon, New Hampshire may be the last New England state without such a law. Vermont, Rhode Island and Maine have passed them, while Massachusetts and Connecticut have bills pending that seem likely to pass.

Advocacy groups argue there is a domino effect of legal and social complications that stem from a man deciding to live as a woman or vice versa – making difficult even mundane tasks such as renewing a driver’s license or getting a passport.

Many states, including New Hampshire, require proof of surgery before changing the gender on a person’s driver’s license, according to Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders. However, some transgender folks don’t plan to have surgery. So they dress and present on a full-time basis in public as one gender, but their driver’s license says the other.

Employment is another major issue in the civil rights battle. Finding – or keeping – employment is a cornerstone issue for transgender rights organizations. In the 37 states, including New Hampshire, without transgender protection laws, it’s legal to fire someone based on their gender identity.

The transgender [tag]civil rights[tag]battle goes on with the New York State’s passage of it’s Genda Bill one small pebble in a very large pond.

Technorati Tags: transgender, anti-discrimination, District of Columbia, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut

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