Task Force Responds to Jenner’s Announcement About Being a Transgender Woman

WASHINGTON, DC, April 23, 2015 — Olympic gold medalist Bruce Jenner came out as a transgender woman during an interview with ABC reporter Diane Sawyer. In response Kylar Broadus, Transgender Civil Rights Project Director at the National LGBTQ Task Force, released the following statement:

“We believe that coming out is truly an act of courage. For transgender people, the journey of living our lives genuinely can be difficult and scary. To this day, transgender people face significant barriers to freedom, justice and equality—from harassment at school, to unfair treatment in places of worship, to discrimination in the workplace, to violence in our own neighborhoods.

“During this very important time in the coming out process, we send our best wishes to Jenner and Jenner’s family. And when any high-profiled figure comes out as transgender, it can help highlight the challenges transgender people face every day all across the nation.

“The realities that transgender people experience in America is truly alarming.Transgender people are twice as likely to be unemployed and four times more likely to live in poverty when compared to the general population–and these disparities are steeper for transgender Black and Latina women. And for transgender people who are able to find a job, ninety percent of them experience harassment, discrimination or mistreatment at the workplace. Clearly more needs to be done to ensure that transgender people have a fighting chance to access the promise of America.”

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CONTACT:
Jorge Amaro
Media and Public Relations Director
213-842-7564
jamaro@thetaskforce.org