Connecticut Legislature passes transgender nondiscrimination bill
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force applauds the Connecticut Senate’s approval this weekend of a bill barring discrimination based on gender identity or expression in employment, housing, public accommodations, credit and all other laws under the jurisdiction of the state’s Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities. The House already passed the bill, which now moves to Gov. Dan Malloy, who is expected to sign it.
Congratulations to the Connecticut TransAdvocacy Coalition and CtEquality and all those who have been advocating for this critically important bill. The Task Force was happy to assist with this legislation over the past several years, including traveling to Connecticut to conduct a training and assisting with legal analysis of the bill language and proposed amendments.
The Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality recently released Injustice at Every Turn: A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, which reveals the depth of discrimination against transgender and gender non-conforming people. The study is the first large-scale national study of discrimination against transgender and gender non-conforming Americans, and paints a more complete picture than any prior research to date.
The survey showed that 26 percent of transgender people have lost a job due to bias, 50 percent have been harassed at work, 19 percent have been denied a home/apartment, and 19 percent were homeless at some point due to bias, with higher rates for transgender people of color.
Lisa Mottet, director of the Task Force’s Transgender Civil Rights Project, says:
The findings of this study really spotlight how vitally necessary these legal protections are for transgender people. The Connecticut Legislature recognized and responded appropriately to this crisis. We look forward to the governor signing this bill and making Connecticut the 15th state with clear protections for transgender people in its statewide nondiscrimination laws.
