The Metropolitan Council of King County, Washington added gender identity to its anti-discrimination laws last night. The 5-4 vote was drawn along partisan lines. It should be noted that Washington State passed an anti-discrimination law on January 27, 2006 that includes gender identity, so this measure simply reiterates the state-wide protection. Immediately after the passage of the state-wide measure, however, a referendum and an initiative were filed to overturn it. That measure is due to be voted on this fall. If it passes, then there will be no more state-wide protection, and the King County law will be of primary importance.

King County includes Seattle, which already has a similar measure, and outlying suburbs which play host to Boeing.

The District of Columbia has added “gender identity or expression” to the city’s existing anti-discrimination legislation. The new ordinance explicitly bars discrimination on the basis of “gender identity or expression.” The “Human Rights Clarification Amendment Act” was cosponsored by all 13 members of the City Council, unanimously passed, and approved by the U.S. Congress.

The name of the bill, the “Human Rights Clarification Amendment Act” is interesting because it adverts to the fact that the previous version of the district’s Human Rights Act had been interpreted by the courts to apply to transgender people. The new version clarifies the law to make it explicit in the text.

DC is headquarters to the following Fortune 500 companies: Pepco Holdings, Danaher, Washington Post, Harman Intl. Industries, and WGL Holdings.

For those new to this topic who are seeking an easy-to-read introduction, there are two must-have books: True Selves: Understanding Transsexualism-For Families, Friends, Coworkers, and Helping Professionals, and Transsexual Workers: An Employer’s Guide.

The first, True Selves, is a general introduction to the topic from a psychological point of view. It’s written by two psychologists who are well-versed in gender issues. They detail the process of transition between genders, starting with legal and identity changes and proceeding to changing outward modes of self-presentation, including sample “coming-out” letters to employers and coworkers and dealing with bathroom issues, hormone treatments, surgical options, and guidelines for finding social support. First-person accounts from transsexuals augment general readability and put human faces on the issues discussed.

The second, Transsexual Workers: An Employer’s Guide, also gives basic information about transsexualism from a therapeutic point of view, but also tries to specifically address the issues faced by HR and Diversity professionals. It gives some information on relevant civil rights and disability laws, tips for managing difficult situations, and a glossary. There are suggestions for dealing with coworkers’ concerns, uncomfortable clients, the general public, and the media. Common workplace issues, such as pronoun usage, dress codes, restroom use, employee transfers, and health insurance, are addressed. A resource section lists helpful websites, national and regional organizations, books, magazines, and videos.

Some of you may wonder why these books use the term “transsexual,” rather than transgender, and what the difference is. In a nutshell, “transsexual” is an older term used mostly in medical and therapeutic circles. It can be confusing, because some use it to refer only to those who have completed sex reassignment surgery, whereas others have different definitions. By contrast, “transgender” is a more expansive term that includes all those whose gender varies from traditional norms. Most HR and Diversity professionals use the term “transgender.”

The Cincinnati City Council voted last week to extend discrimination protection to gay and transgender people. The new ordinance adds “sexual orientation or transgendered status” to protected categories. This language is unusual, because such laws usually use the term “gender identity.” It would be interesting, particularly for employers in Cincinnati, to find out whether the ordinance has a definition of “transgendered status.”

Cincinnati plays host to the headquarters of the following Fortune 500 companies: Kroger, Procter & Gamble, Federated Dept. Stores, Fifth Third Bancorp, Cinergy, American Financial Grp., Western & Southern Financial, Chiquita Brands Intl., Cintas, Convergys, and E.W. Scripps.

Click on the purple link above to find an article about a legislative effort to add “gender identity” to Connecticut’s anti-discrimination statute. Protection of “gender identity” is intended to prohibit discrimination on the basis of a person’s identification as male or female, regardless of their birth sex. This means that, for example, a person born male who transitions to the female gender cannot be subjected to adverse employment actions on that basis.

Seven states and the District of Columbia currently have statutes that prohibit discrimination on the basis of “gender identity”, including California, Rhode Island, New Mexico, Maine, Minnesota, Illinois and Washington. Similar state-wide legislative efforts are happening in New Jersey, Vermont and Oregon. About one hundred U.S. cities currently have such laws on the books.

Connecticut headquarters 31 Fortune 500 companies: General Electric, United Technologies, International Paper, Hartford Financial Services, Aetna, Xerox, Premcor, MeadWestvaco, Northeast Utilities, Praxair, Pitney Bowes, Emcor Group, Terex, W.R. Berkley, Stanley Works, United Rentals, Phoenix, Crompton, Silgan Holdings, Citizens Communications, Hubbell, Crane, Applera, Magellan Health Svcs., UST, United Natural Foods, Knights of Columbus, Blyth, IMS Health, Amphenol, and Star Gas Partners.

Welcome! This blog is for those who are faced with issues of “transgender workplace diversity.” I discuss resources, news, and issues of importance specifically for people in those professional areas who need to know the latest on this fast-developing new category of employees. My goal is to help you develop cultural competence and knowledge resources so that transgender issues and gender transition in the workplace are successful for everyone concerned.

We’re syndicated by NewsTex and can also be found on LexisNexis. But you can access the latest at http://jtweisslaw.com/

To start with a definition, the Oxford English Dictionary defines “transgender” as “identity that does not conform unambiguously to conventional notions of male or female gender, but combines or moves between these.” I note that this definition is by no means universally accepted, but it’s a pretty good start for the newcomer.

Because this is an issue that is relatively new for most of us, it can be hard to decide what steps should be taken in the organizational environment. What should be done about facilities access, employment records, insurance benefits, and concerns of co-workers and customers? You can find some answers here. Best place to start: check out the clickable index of postings at the right side of the blog. You can find posts on such topics as “Bathrooms and Locker Rooms,” “Corporate Diversity,” and “Municipal and County Law.”

I have a lot of experience with this issue, both academically and practically, and with employment issues generally. My background includes J.D. and Ph.D degrees, 20 years in the corporate world, and consulting with Fortune 500 companies and public agencies. I am the principal of Jillian T. Weiss & Associates, a consulting firm specifically devoted to transgender workplace diversity. I am also Associate Professor of Law and Society at Ramapo College. You can learn more about me and my research at my webpage.

If you’d like to subscribe to this blog via email, enter your email in the box on the right-hand side of the page labeled “Subscribe Via Email.” Please feel free to email me at if you have further questions. My consulting firm address is .

Best,

Jillian