Employment

Refusal to hire trans people, privacy violations, harassment, and even physical and sexual violence on the job are all too common, and trans people of color face these harms even more frequently. Almost half of all transgender people have been discriminated against in hiring or firing decisions and more than 40 percent have experienced workplace harassment because they are transgender. Transgender people who are employed typically make just 68 cents for every dollar a cisgender employee is paid. Many trans people report changing jobs to avoid discrimination or the risk of discrimination. Extreme levels of unemployment and poverty lead many to become involved in underground economies, including sex work and the drug market, in order to survive.

The landmark Supreme Court case Bostock v. Clayton County, decided in  2020, clarified that federal law prohibits anti-transgender discrimination in employment. This decision built on many victories in recent years, wherein courts and federal agencies had increasingly taken the view that job discrimination against transgender people is prohibited by existing laws against sex discrimination. We strongly urge workers facing discrimination to check out our resources, know their rights, and seek legal help.