cabbitzilla

Snagged from Yahoo! News, which in turn snagged it from Planet Out...

The California Senate passed a groundbreaking bill on Thursday that makes it illegal to discriminate against transgender people in housing and employment. AB 196 adds "gender identity or expression" to sex and other characteristics that are already protected by the state's Fair Employment and Housing Act.

The bill, passed by the Assembly in April by a 41-34 vote, now goes to Gov. Gray Davis (news - web sites), who is expected to make a decision in approximately two weeks. The Senate vote was 23-11 along strict party lines: All in favor were Democrats, all opposed were Republicans.

Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, authored the bill. Equality California, the state's GLBT advocacy organization, worked closely with the five-member legislative GLBT caucus to achieve passage of the bill.

Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, one of the bill's co-authors and a caucus member, called AB 196 "a simple matter of civil rights. California law already protects against hate crimes based on gender stereotyping, and protects students and teachers from discrimination or harassment on this basis. ... We should not tolerate such arbitrary discrimination that can lead to the problems of unemployment and homelessness among those who are perceived as different."

The San Francisco Department of Public Health (news - web sites) reported 70 percent unemployment among transgender people in 1999, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

AB 196 allows employees to dress consistent with their gender identity as long as they meet reasonable workplace appearance standards. It is endorsed by more than 50 business, religious and civil rights organizations, from the California Labor Federation to the California Apartment Association. As expected, conservatives have criticized the measure.

If Davis signs the bill into law, California will join Minnesota, New Mexico and Rhode Island in explicitly prohibiting gender identity-based discrimination. Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and the District of Columbia have statutes that have been interpreted to protect transgender people in certain circumstances. No federal law protects GLBT individuals in the workplace, but activists and organizations including the Human Rights Campaign are developing one.

If you'd like to know more, you can find stories related to Calif. Senate OKs transgender protections.

What I find interesting about this is that the Republican Party universally protests this type of legislation, claiming that it's 'frivolous' and redundant, but they're QUITE willing to do bills JUST as repetitive as this one when it comes to the Defense budget. Which roughly translates as 'More guns, but screw non-white, non-Christian, non-heterosexual America. We don't care about them...'.

I know this is likely to get flack from some of my family; I understand that some things hit too close to the bone. But consider, -before- you flame me, that I was for many years a staunch Republican. I'm not talking out of my arse here, I've seen the policies in action. I voted for Reagan of my own volition. I was wavering by the time George Bush Sr went up for his four year term; eight long years of watching my own elected government betray me had made me wary, but there weren't any real alternatives. After four years of Reagan-cum-Bush, I'd had enough. Too many people were being hurt because of the private sector (read: the religous right) interests and controls within the Republican party. I've not voted Republican since... but I can't honestly say that the Democrats are really any better. Different, yes, and a bit closer in tune with the needs that I see... but they've still got some glaring inconsistencies.

But I do NOT understand, when the evidence is right in front of their eyes that Something Needs To Be Done(tm), the Republican Party's continued stance in opposition to the basic rights necessary to -live-. It just strikes me as -wrong-...

And for those that 'don't do' politics, well, I'm sorry. I trust you'll understand that this particular issue is rather important to me; if I get unfriended, then I'll just have to accept it.

And it's off to the shower with me. Time's wasting. :p

*hugs*
~ellie-chan, Demo'Tarian Anarchist. :p