Transgender Law Center

Last updated
Transgender Law Center
Formation2002;22 years ago (2002)
Founded at San Francisco, California, United States
Focus transgender law
Area served
United States
Method Campaigning, advocacy, lobbying, research
Key people
Shelby Chestnut (executive director) [1]
Website transgenderlawcenter.org

The Transgender Law Center (TLC) is the largest American transgender-led civil rights organization in the United States. They were originally California's first "fully staffed, state-wide transgender legal organization" and were initially a fiscally sponsored project of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. [2]

Contents

Since launching in 2002, TLC has held over 250 transgender law workshops providing legal information to more than 3,250 community members, attorneys, social service providers, and business owners, as well as collaborated on public policy initiatives designed to improve safety in schools and prisons and safe access to public restrooms for transgender people in San Francisco. TLC helped to revise San Francisco's "Regulations to Prohibit Gender Identity Discrimination" in December 2003, making them more inclusive of people who do not identify as strictly female or male, and to pass legislation in the City of Oakland banning gender identity discrimination in housing, employment, public accommodation, and city services.

The Transgender Law Center was launched in 2002 in San Francisco by law school graduates Dylan Vade and Chris Daley with funding from the Echoing Green Foundation. [3] The stated mission of TLC is to connect transgender people and their families to technically sound and culturally competent legal services, increase acceptance and enforcement of laws and policies that support California's transgender communities, and work to change laws and systems that fail to incorporate the needs and experiences of transgender people. TLC uses direct legal services, public policy advocacy, and educational opportunities to advance the rights and safety of diverse transgender communities. [4]

The Transgender Law Center helped to revise San Francisco's "Regulations to Prohibit Gender Identity Discrimination" in December 2003, [5] making them more inclusive of people who do not identify as strictly female or male, and to pass legislation in the City of Oakland banning gender identity discrimination in housing, employment, public accommodation, and city services. [6]

In 2015, the TLC joined a lawsuit filed against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation that resulted in a settlement that established a precedent of the state providing gender-affirming medical care. [7] In 2016, the TLC and co-counsel filed a suit on behalf of a transgender high schooler who was prohibited from using the boys' bathroom. [8] In 2017 the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously ruled in favor of the student, finding that the school's policy violated Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. [9]

On May 21, 2018, members of the TLC and the Transgender Education Network of Texas were denied service at an IHOP restaurant in Nashville, Tennessee. [10] [11] The IHOP issued an apology. [10] [11]

Transgender economic health

The survey Good Jobs NOW!, conducted jointly by the Transgender Law Center and the San Francisco Bay Guardian in 2006, provided data on the economic reality experienced by transgender people and their families. [12] [13] The team surveyed 194 self-identified transgender people living, working, or looking for work in San Francisco. Survey findings included:

A statewide survey, "The State of Transgender California Report", was conducted in 2008. Findings included that respondents were more than twice as likely to live under the poverty line as the general population. [14]

Related Research Articles

The legal status of transgender people varies greatly around the world. Some countries have enacted laws protecting the rights of transgender individuals, but others have criminalized their gender identity or expression. In many cases, transgender individuals face discrimination in employment, housing, healthcare, and other areas of life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transgender rights in Canada</span> Rights of transgender individuals in Canada

Transgender rights in Canada, including procedures for changing legal gender and protections from discrimination, vary among provinces and territories, due to Canada's nature as a federal state. According to the 2021 Canadian census, 59,460 Canadians identify as transgender. Canada was ranked third in Asher & Lyric's Global Trans Rights Index in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Advocates for Trans Equality</span> U.S. nonprofit organization

The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) is a nonprofit social equality organization founded in 2003 by transgender activist Mara Keisling in Washington, D.C. The organization works primarily in the areas of policy advocacy and media activism with the aim of advancing the equality of transgender people in the United States. Among other transgender-related issue areas, NCTE focuses on discrimination in employment, access to public accommodations, fair housing, identity documents, hate crimes and violence, criminal justice reform, federal research surveys and the Census, and health care access.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Violence against transgender people</span> Violence or victimization against transgender people

Violence against transgender people includes emotional, physical, sexual, or verbal violence targeted towards transgender people. The term has also been applied to hate speech directed at transgender people and at depictions of transgender people in the media that reinforce negative stereotypes about them. Trans and non-binary gender adolescents can experience bashing in the form of bullying and harassment. When compared to their cisgender peers, trans and non-binary gender youth are at increased risk for victimisation and substance abuse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ rights in the United States</span>

The rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in the United States are among the most advanced in the world, with public opinion and jurisprudence changing significantly since the late 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equality California</span> Non-profit civil rights organization

Equality California (EQCA) is a non-profit civil rights organization that advocates for the rights of LGBT people in California. It is the largest statewide LGBT organization in the United States and the largest member of the Equality Federation. The organization is based in Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ rights in Honduras</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Honduras face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Both male and female types of same-sex sexual activity are legal in Honduras.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ movements in the United States</span>

LGBTQ movements in the United States comprise an interwoven history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer social movements in the United States of America, beginning in the early 20th century. A commonly stated goal among these movements is social equality for LGBTQ people. Some have also focused on building LGBTQ communities or worked towards liberation for the broader society from biphobia, homophobia, and transphobia. LGBTQ movements organized today are made up of a wide range of political activism and cultural activity, including lobbying, street marches, social groups, media, art, and research. Sociologist Mary Bernstein writes:

For the lesbian and gay movement, then, cultural goals include challenging dominant constructions of masculinity and femininity, homophobia, and the primacy of the gendered heterosexual nuclear family (heteronormativity). Political goals include changing laws and policies in order to gain new rights, benefits, and protections from harm.

In the United States, the rights of transgender people vary considerably by jurisdiction. In recent decades, there has been an expansion of federal, state, and local laws and rulings to protect transgender Americans; however, many rights remain unprotected, and some rights are being eroded. Since 2020, there has been a national movement by conservative/right-wing politicians and organizations to target transgender rights. There has been a steady increase in the number of anti-transgender bills introduced each year, especially in Republican-led states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ rights in Delaware</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of Delaware enjoy the same legal protections as non-LGBTQ people. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal in Delaware since January 1, 1973. On January 1, 2012, civil unions became available to same-sex couples, granting them the "rights, benefits, protections, and responsibilities" of married persons. Delaware legalized same-sex marriage on July 1, 2013.

The history of LGBT residents in California, which includes centuries prior to the 20th, has become increasingly visible recently with the successes of the LGBT rights movement. In spite of the strong development of early LGBT villages in the state, pro-LGBT activists in California have campaigned against nearly 170 years of especially harsh prosecutions and punishments toward gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ rights in California</span>

California is seen as one of the most liberal states in the U.S. in regard to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rights, which have received nationwide recognition since the 1970s. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal in the state since 1976. Discrimination protections regarding sexual orientation and gender identity or expression were adopted statewide in 2003. Transgender people are also permitted to change their legal gender on official documents without any medical interventions, and mental health providers are prohibited from engaging in conversion therapy on minors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ rights in Massachusetts</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of Massachusetts enjoy the same rights as non-LGBTQ people. The U.S. state of Massachusetts is one of the most LGBTQ-supportive states in the country. In 2004, it became the first U.S. state to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples after the decision in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, and the sixth jurisdiction worldwide, after the Netherlands, Belgium, Ontario, British Columbia, and Quebec.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT employment discrimination in the United States</span>

LGBT employment discrimination in the United States is illegal under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity is encompassed by the law's prohibition of employment discrimination on the basis of sex. Prior to the landmark cases Bostock v. Clayton County and R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (2020), employment protections for LGBT people were patchwork; several states and localities explicitly prohibit harassment and bias in employment decisions on the basis of sexual orientation and/or gender identity, although some only cover public employees. Prior to the Bostock decision, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) interpreted Title VII to cover LGBT employees; the EEOC determined that transgender employees were protected under Title VII in 2012, and extended the protection to encompass sexual orientation in 2015.

Discrimination against non-binary people, people who do not identify exclusively as male or female, may occur in social, legal, or medical contexts.

Transgender inequality is the unequal protection received by transgender people in work, school, and society in general. Transgender people regularly face transphobic harassment. Ultimately, one of the largest reasons that transgender people face inequality is due to a lack of public understanding of transgender people.

Transgender Awareness Week, observed November 13 to November 19, is a one-week celebration leading up to the Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR), which memorializes victims of transphobic violence. TDoR occurs annually on November 20, when transgender advocates raise awareness of the transgender community through education and advocacy activities.

<i>An Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code</i> Canadian federal law relating to gender identity

An Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code is a law passed in 2017 by the Parliament of Canada. It was introduced as Bill C-16 of the first session of the 42nd Parliament. The law adds gender expression and gender identity as protected grounds to the Canadian Human Rights Act, and also to the Criminal Code provisions dealing with hate propaganda, incitement to genocide, and aggravating factors in sentencing.

The legal and regulatory history of transgender and transsexual people in the United States begins in the 1960s. Such legislation covers federal, state, municipal, and local levels, as well as military justice. It reflects broader societal attitudes which have shifted significantly over time and have impacted legislative and judicial outcomes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arnold Schwarzenegger and LGBT rights</span> Overview of the relationship between Arnold Schwarzenegger and LGBT rights

Arnold Schwarzenegger was an early opponent of same-sex marriage in the United States, including during his Governorship of California. As an elected official he opposed legal recognition of same-sex marriage but otherwise he supported LGBT rights legislation, including civil unions.

References

  1. ↑ Ferrannini, John (February 21, 2023). "New Transgender Law Center ED 'humbled' to lead organization". Bay Area Reporter . Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Transgender Law: Overview". Nclrights.org. July 18, 2013. Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  3. ↑ Engardio, Joel P. (June 12, 2002). "Legal Precedent: A transgender Stanford grad and his colleague are set to open the first-ever law center for transgender issues". SF Weekly . Archived from the original on July 29, 2014. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  4. ↑ Worthington, Kriss (October 1, 2013). "Proclamation in Honor of Transgender Law Center and its 11th Annual Celebration "SPARK!"". Letter to Mayor and Members of the City Council. Archived from the original on November 7, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Compliance Guidelines to Prohibit Gender Identity Discrimination". Human Rights Commission. City and County of San Francisco. December 10, 2003. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  6. ↑ Laird, Cynthia (December 18, 2003). "Oakland OKs gender identity ordinance". Bay Area Reporter . Retrieved May 27, 2016.[ dead link ]
  7. ↑ Stahl, Aviva (November 9, 2017). "Transgender Prisoners: What an Inmate's Surgery Means for Trans Rights". Rolling Stone. Penske Business Media, LLC. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Whitaker v. Kenosha Unified School District". Transgender Law Center. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  9. ↑ Brown, Emma (May 30, 2017). "Appeals court sides with transgender student in Wis. school bathroom case". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  10. 1 2 McGauthy, Lauren (May 22, 2018). "Transgender activists say they were gawked at, denied service at Nashville IHOP". Dallas News. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  11. 1 2 Allison, Natalie (May 22, 2018). "Transgender activists with service dog say they were denied service at Nashville IHOP". The Tennessean. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 "Good Jobs NOW!". Transgender Law Center. Archived from the original on April 2, 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  13. ↑ Szymanski, Zak (July 7, 2006). "TG job, health efforts get funding". Bay Area Reporter. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  14. ↑ Hemmelgarn, Seth (October 29, 2009). "Report: Even with protections, transgenders in California". Bay Area Reporter. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.