Having written about the political state of our medical care last evening, I found myself in the mood to collect some random stories about the state of our employment today.
Friday was graduation day. On August 4th Mayor Vincent Gray directed the District of Columbia's Department of Employment Services (DOES) to pilot a transitional employment program targeting members of the transgender community. There would be 6 weeks of training, followed by subsidized paid employment.
It has not been good times for our community in the District recently.
Here in the District of Columbia, transgender individuals are free to be lynched.
--Danielle King, Board Member, DC Black Pride; Chair, Capital TransPride
Those words were uttered at a town hall hosted by the mayor's Office of GLBT Affairs and the National Black Justice Coalition this past summer.
A survey done in 2009 estimated the unemployment rate for transpeople in the District at 42%. When it seemed to become open season on transpeople in the District this past summer, including 5 shooting incidents targeting transwomen, one of which was fatal, the mayor of our capitol city finally acted. One class of the DOES project empowerment Program was dedicated to transpeople. Usually Project Empowerment targets ex-convicts, recovering drug addicts and people like that. The program receives $11 million from the city to do its work.
If someone doesn't know how to go out for a job interview or dress (for an interview), then I think it's our responsibility to reach them.
--program director Charles Jones
Graduates get a subsidized hourly wage of $8.25 who are connected with employers in the public, private and non-profit sectors.
The class started with an enrollment of 21. Three failed drug tests and were not allowed to continue. One student found a job before the program was over. So there were 17 graduates on Friday.
The District of Columbia has the distinction of being the only local, county or state jurisdiction in the nation to provide coaching, counseling, resume writing and other employment-related services specifically for the transgender community. City government is supposed to meet the needs of all residents and that is what we intend to do to ensure that every resident of the District of Columbia who wants a job has the skills and training necessary to get a job.
--Vincent Gray
As the AP news story points out, several career development classes, workshops and job fairs targeting transpeople have been held around the country in recent years. What is unique about the DOES program is that the local government does the training rather than paying someone else to do it. In San Francisco the LGBT Community Center receives about $200K from the city to provide transgender job services, although those funds were threatened to be cut.
the center's Transgender Economic Employment Initiative has placed people into more than 300 jobs, and the program offers cover letter support, resume-building labs, networking opportunities and vocational academies. A local Goodwill Industries thrift store opened last year as a jobs program for transgender workers after partnering with the TEEI.
But still, good on ya', Mayor Gray.
If we create the employment opportunities that you deserve, class, then you won't have to be out on the streets doing things you don't want to be doing.
--Vincent Gray
That statement, not so much. I'm still not sure you totally get it.
What we see is people who transition, their income rapidly declines. It happens so fast for some people that many folks don't have a safety net, whether that's family to lean on or friends or financial savings.
--Gunner Scott, Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition
Nobody thinks that job training alone is going to help in undoing the discrimination that transpeople face when they apply for employment or if we transition while employed. But I guess it is a start.
Actually legal protections would go a lot further. Currently we have those protections in only 15 states and the District plus a handful of municipalities and counties. A recent Center for American Progress poll reveals that 63% of small businesses support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would protect us nationally. Opposition is at 15%. A CAP poll from earlier in the year showed 73% of likely 2012 voters support legislation to diminish discrimination against GLBT in the workplace. That includes 81% of democrats, 74% of independents and 66% of republicans.
Even among voters who identify themselves as feeling generally unfavorable toward gay people, a full 50 percent support workplace nondiscrimination protections for the gay and transgender population.
So what the hell is keeping the government from acting?
Members in both chambers of Congress introduced ENDA legislation earlier this year. Sen. Jeff Merkely (D-OR) introduced ENDA in the Senate, where it has 41 co-sponsors. Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) introduced ENDA in the House of Representatives, where it has 153 co-sponsors. Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia currently prohibit public and private employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Fifteen states and the District of Columbia also prohibit discrimination based on gender identity. Further, 87 percent of Fortune 500 businesses prohibit sexual orientation discrimination and about half prohibit gender identity discrimination.
Apparently Congress is terrified of the vocal minority of homophobes and transphobes.
And despite the pressing need to pass this important legislation, a robust lobby of extreme right-wing organizations continues to oppose ENDA. Based simply on their dislike and fear of gay and transgender people, these groups work to spread a wide range of lies about gay and transgender people, the discrimination they face, and the impact ENDA would purportedly have on the business community.
And simply based on the fear of these lobbyists, the government continues to do nothing.