One of America’s largest all-female Ivy League colleges – known as the “Seven Sisters” – is changing its policy and will begin accepting transgender women, according to a recent NY Post report. Smith College, a private liberal arts university located in Massachusetts, will make the new policy effective this fall in time for those applying for admission to the school. Smith will admit students who were born male but identify themselves as female but will not, however, admit students who were born female but identify themselves as male. Mount Holyoke and Wellesley, also part of the Seven Sisters, have also changed their policies to accept transgender women.
Transgender Discrimination
Unfortunately, there are few laws in place to protect the rights of individuals within the LGBT community from discrimination in the workplace. In fact, there is no federal law presently in place that consistently protects these individuals. A survey conducted by the National Center for Transgender Equality found alarming statistics: 20% of transgender people lost a job due to bias, and 50% of transgender people were harassed on the job.
A LGBT individual may experience some of the following issues at the workplace:
● Discrimination based on gender identity;
● Discrimination based on gender expression;
● Discrimination based on sexual orientation;
● Retaliation by the employer for asserting protected LGBT rights;
● Discrimination based on FMLA or other leave of absence; or
● Discrimination based on HIV/AIDs status.
If you or someone you know has faced discrimination as part of the LGBT community, contact experienced discrimination attorneys in New York to handle your case.
Know Your Rights
State and federal laws do prohibit transgender discrimination, and protect an individual in order to transition at work, dress according to gender identity, be called by the preferred name and pronoun, use restrooms/locker rooms consistent with gender identity, have privacy concerning transgender status and medical information, and have employee records fully updated.
There are federal laws that offer protections for transgender individuals working for the federal government. These include the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, Executive Order 13087 and Executive Order 13672. As of July 2014, almost a dozen states – and D.C. and Puerto Rico – explicitly prohibit discrimination based on gender expression or identity. Moreover, state or local government employees are protected by state constitutions prohibiting employment discrimination on the basis of sex and nine states specifically prohibit gender discrimination in state employment.
Discrimination Lawyers in New York
If you or someone you know has been discriminated against in the workplace as a LGBT individual, or experienced any other type of employment discrimination, contact a skilled discrimination attorney in New York at Levine & Blit, PLLC right away to protect your workplace rights. For an initial, Free Case Evaluation, call (212) 967-3000 toll free today.