Calif. Senate OKs transgender protections (Companies MUST hire transgenders)

Yahoo ^ | July 25, 2003 | Ellen Maremont Silver

[nwrep]

Calif. Senate OKs transgender protections

Fri Jul 25, 8:11 PM ET

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Ellen Maremont Silver, Gay.com / PlanetOut.com Network

SUMMARY: The California Senate passed a groundbreaking bill on Thursday that makes it illegal to discriminate against transgender people in housing and employment.

The California Senate passed a groundbreaking bill on Thursday that makes it illegal to discriminate against transgender people in housing and employment. AB 196 adds "gender identity or expression" to sex and other characteristics that are already protected by the state's Fair Employment and Housing Act.

The bill, passed by the Assembly in April by a 41-34 vote, now goes to Gov. Gray Davis (news - web sites), who is expected to make a decision in approximately two weeks. The Senate vote was 23-11 along strict party lines: All in favor were Democrats, all opposed were Republicans.

Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, authored the bill. Equality California, the state's GLBT advocacy organization, worked closely with the five-member legislative GLBT caucus to achieve passage of the bill.

Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, one of the bill's co-authors and a caucus member, called AB 196 "a simple matter of civil rights. California law already protects against hate crimes based on gender stereotyping, and protects students and teachers from discrimination or harassment on this basis. ... We should not tolerate such arbitrary discrimination that can lead to the problems of unemployment and homelessness among those who are perceived as different."

The San Francisco Department of Public Health (news - web sites) reported 70 percent unemployment among transgender people in 1999, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

AB 196 allows employees to dress consistent with their gender identity as long as they meet reasonable workplace appearance standards. It is endorsed by more than 50 business, religious and civil rights organizations, from the California Labor Federation to the California Apartment Association. As expected, conservatives have criticized the measure.

If Davis signs the bill into law, California will join Minnesota, New Mexico and Rhode Island in explicitly prohibiting gender identity-based discrimination. Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and the District of Columbia have statutes that have been interpreted to protect transgender people in certain circumstances. No federal law protects GLBT individuals in the workplace, but activists and organizations including the Human Rights Campaign are developing one.

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[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

It is now up to the military to help us out of this mess.

[nwrep]

PING

[nwrep]

I am so sick of this. This is getting out of control. These leftist bastards have declared war on our culture and capitalism and the Constitution.

[rocky88]

Oh, and to the last remaining private business in California... don't forget to turn off the lights when you leave...

[Consort]

What is the impact on the he said/she said argument?

[dufekin]

Oh, and to the last remaining private business in California... don't forget to turn off the lights when you leave...

Don't worry if you forget, though; Gray Davis Energy will be there to do it for you!

P.S. You probably have no idea how close you are to reality. So say my California expatriate friends.

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

I know. We are so far down the road that the people themselves-who are without any uniting belief-can't recover.

[sgtbono2002]

Are there really enough people getting their plumbing changed to tie up a State legislative body in a debate?

No wonder California is in such bad shape if all they have to do is try to protect perverts. What happened to protections for all the regular folks ?

[sgtbono2002]

Are there really enough people getting their plumbing changed to tie up a State legislative body in a debate?

No wonder California is in such bad shape if all they have to do is try to protect perverts. What happened to protections for all the regular folks ?

[DoughtyOne]

This always happens when the California Senate has passed all the budget items and other important business and has nothing else to do. Oh, wait a minute...

If this were put to a vote in California 75% of the population woule vote against it. It's the sick f--- democrats who are pushing deviancy forward.

[Salman]

bump

[Semper Paratus]

Give liberals full throated control of government and this is what you get.

At this rate in, a few years, we'll be begging Mexico to take California.

[88keys]

AB 196 allows employees to dress consistent with their gender identity as long as they meet reasonable workplace appearance standards...

Define "reasonable..."

This is just idiotic, IMHO...the normal folks out there better get to work and oust more than just the "fruitcake" governor!!!

[Bob J]

Minnesota, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and the District of Columbia?

Looks like a lot of other states have their own fruitcakes and nuts and are infecting California.

[Lijahsbubbe]

This is what the slippery slope is all about. And we can look forward to much more with the Supreme Court ruling.

Remember, this freak is coming to a ladies restroom (and classroom) near you and your daughter. And if there are two of them, they'll be having sex in the stall.

[The Brush]

This legislature of California is turning the state into a bad movie. Maybe the rest of America should vote the whole state out of the union and let the libs make their own country.

[PoisedWoman]

I'll bet that most transgendered folk are emotional messes. Do companies get to test their mental health before they have to hire them?

One famous sex-change case was Jan Morris (or Morrison?), a Brit travel writer and a great one. I'd volunteer to occupy the desk next to him....er, her...At least our chats would be interesting.

[grania]

It is now up to the military to help us out of this mess.

How? Close the California borders? Bomb the place off the planet? Declare independence for them...the sovereign country of California?

This is the modern day equivalent of fiddling while Rome burned.