Legal Director Ilona Turner is in Washington, D.C. to testify before the United States Commission on Civil Rights at its first ever hearing on workplace discrimination against LGBT people. Her testimony describes the vast problem of employment discrimination that transgender and gender nonconforming people still face in this country, which leads to widespread unemployment and poverty, and also summarizes the state of legal protections for transgender and gender nonconforming people. While our communities have made significant strides and have won broad protections under existing sex discrimination laws, it is still critical for Congress and state legislatures to enact laws that explicitly prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and expression. Only then will the rules be clear to everyone, including employers, workers, and the courts.
Ilona will be joining leaders including Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), Kate Kendell, and Mara Kiesling in testifying before the Commission. You can read Transgender Law Center’s full testimony below, or watch the hearing — starting at Ilona’s testimony and the panel on transgender issues — here.
