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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[11th Earl of Mar]

How about a law requiring every lawmaker who voted for this to hire a tranvestite/transexual as a press secretary.

Let see how they like it.

[Nick Danger]

I bet the plumber's union put them up to this as a way of stimulating new restroom construction in office buildings. I've seen this movie, and I know that the women will not accept "her" in their bathroom, and the men don't want "her" in their bathroom either. It's an ugliness that keeps on giving.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse the liberals once again top themselves. (Is that an innuendo?)

[ChocChipCookie]

Gays are in some of the most powerful positions in the CA state legislature. They have the power to punish those who get in their way, and few do (any more). I think they're in a rush to get as many of their bills as possible signed into law before Davis goes bye-bye. I wouldn't even want to be a conservative Republican governor in that state and have to deal with these wild-eyed homo fanatics.

[ppaul]

California: The Land of Fruits and Nuts

[LinuxRocks]

This is the kind of stuff that happens when liberals take over a government. If the liberals were in control at the national level the same debates would be going on Congress right now. That's why the RATS are fighing tooth and nail to keep Bush's judicial nominations off the bench. The un-elected leftist courts are the only ones pushing their leftist agenda at the federal level.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

What happened to protections for all the regular folks ?

The liberal plan is to eliminate regular folks. They cause too many problems for the state. Too independent and not malleable enough.

[LinuxRocks]

The funniest thing I've heard in a while is to listen to the RATS crying that recalling Gray-out Davis will cause "ANARCHY" ooooh no. Does anybody remember them giving a sh*t about the anarchy that the Florida recounts caused? That's when the market started really heading south.

[kcar]

He-she-it said, She-he-it said.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

Liberal hypocrisy can run you crazy. Just remember, at all times, they are opportunistic liars. They have no core, just a need to win the argument at the moment. This inevitably results in contradictions. They then adamantly defend each side of the contradiction. Thus, hypocrisy.

[LinuxRocks]

Can't you see the them setting up a new committee (complete with tons of state funding) to figure out new unoffensive PC words to use to describe these freaks of nature? I live near New Orleans, LA. We see these freaks all the time in the French Quarter, they are all over the place on Bourbon Street at night. Never would I believe that a gov't would take stuff like this seriously.

[bytesmith]

California just taxes the daylights out of the regular people to pay for all this foolishness.

[umgud]

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

Laughing my a$$ off!!!!!

[Credo]

I hope the people of California realize recall works for more than the governor.

Although Davis is pathetic, he has partners in crime in the legislature.

[LinuxRocks]

I think going there would be a great mistake. It has no bearing on national security at all. If Bush does it then he is bending to the pressure from the far left. His dad did the same thing. Look where that got him. We should not be making deals with the left, or helping the UN. Look at the way they treat us. Would they EVER make any deals with us if they were in control?

[kcar]

I remember being to Bourbon Street at night once. Those things were dancing semi-nude with the doors wide open. Guess it's not obscene if it's just a plastic scene.
Given all the Lola's, I wouldn't recommend shore-leave to sailors in your town.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

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.

Notice Arizona isn't in that list. That said, our new bulldyke governor would love it. Pray our legislature stays Republican!

[umgud]

Davis, who would normally have no problem signing this type of legislation, may have qualms about signing it before his recall debacle. This is a double-edged sword for him. He needs the gay and lib votes.

[Eala]

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.

It's too late. The infection is everywhere now, lbeit more rampant in some locales. Taken a look at SCOTUS rulings lately?

[breakem]

You're government inaction or is that in action.