Transgender People’s Victory in California

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From Colorlines:

In California, where one in four transgender people earn wages below the poverty level and trans folk of color are up to a third poorer than their white counterparts, two important anti-discrimination bills have become law.

Signed on [last Monday], the new Gender Nondiscrimination Act (AB 887) carves out a specific category for “gender identity and expression” in the existing law against discrimination at work, school, the doctor’s office, housing, and public spaces. Transgender people were already protected from, say, being fired or evicted for coming out, but according to the San Francisco-based Transgender Law Center, many didn’t know their rights.

The Vital Statistics Modernization Act (AB 433), also passed on Monday, eliminates demeaning hoops that transgender people have to jump through to update their birth certificates and get a court-ordered gender change. The Transgender Law Center is one of three organizations that led the push for these changes. Program manager Maceo Persson explains how Cali’s trans folk will benefit.

Full piece here.

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  • Anonymous

    Thanks for posting this, Seeta.  These victories are huge – and long overdue.  They don’t end discrimination against trans people, and particularly trans people of color.  Structural forms of racism, gender violence,  and economic violence remain in place.

    But these are essential and critical steps forward.