Economic Empowerment
Since we opened our doors, we have focused on issues of economic
justice. We began this work through providing information to and
representing transgender workers facing employment discrimination.
In 2005, we expanded this work with the support of the Women's Foundation
of California and in partnership with the San Francisco LGBT Community
Center. In 2006, we released, along with the San Francisco Bay Guardian,
a report on the economic health of San Francisco's transgender community,
Good
Jobs NOW!
Surveys of nearly 200 community members confirmed what many in
the community had believed for years: the community is unemployed
and underemployed at alarming rates. For instance, nearly 60% of
Good Jobs NOW! respondents earn under $15,300 annually and only
8% earn over $45,900. 40% do not have a bank account of any kind.
Only 25% are working full-time, 16% are working part-time, and nearly
9% have no source of income. Over 57% percent report experiencing
employment discrimination, but only a little over 12% have filed
an administrative or civil complaint as a result.
What struck us most immediately is that these inequalities exist
in a city which has had a gender identity non-discrimination law
for more than a decade and which has one of the most effective Human
Rights Commissions in the country. In response to this data, city
leaders created the Comprehensive Transgender Employment Initiative
to improve services related to job placement and retention. The
Walter and Elise Haas Fund has also joined the Women's Foundation
as private supporters of this work.
For more information on these services, contact:
Natalie Stern at Jewish Vocational Services (415) 782-6281, nstern@jvs.org
or Claire Farley at the San Francisco LGBT Community Center (415)
865-5632, clairf@sfcenter.org
While the majority of our economic development work is being done
in San Francisco, we are currently looking for ways to expand this
work to other areas of the state. We are in discussions with activists
in Los Angeles, for instance, about helping them conduct their own
survey and write their own report.
Related materials:
Good
Jobs NOW!
Trans Jobless
from the San Francisco Bay Guardian Article
Complete
the California Transgender Economic Health Survey today!
The
Transgender Law Center is conducting a survey to better understand
the needs and interests of transgender adults throughout California.
Survey data will be analyzed and reported in a new publication –
Good Jobs Now California!
More
Information
Complete
the Transgender Economic Health Survey
Complete
la Encuesta de la Salud Económica de la Comunidad Transgénera!
Información
en Español
|