Workplaces

Sexual orientation and gender identity have nothing to do with how well a person can do their job. Yet transgender workers are often rejected by employers, denied compensation and benefits, or even fired because of who they love or who they are. Nearly one in three transgender people has experienced discrimination in the workplace.

For the past two decades, anti-discrimination laws have protected trans people — and all LGBTQ people — from certain forms of discrimination in the workplace. But the Trump administration is trying to strip away these hard-fought rights. In 2019, the Department of Labor proposed a rule that would allow government-contracted employers to discriminate against trans employees. 

Trans rights are at stake in the courts, too. This year, the Supreme Court will decide three cases in which the Trump administration is urging the court to rule that it’s legal to fire workers for being LGBTQ. These cases will affect more people than the 2015 ruling on marriage equality, and they potentially implicate a broader range of contexts in which LGBTQ people may face harm if the court green-lights discrimination. 

Through advocacy and litigation, the ACLU is fighting for clear and explicit laws that protect trans people from discrimination on the job. All LGBTQ people are entitled to fair consideration based on their job qualifications alone, just like everyone else.

Stories

Resources and action

Trans People Belong Everywhere

Trans people belong in health care systems, in schools, in the military, in workplaces — everywhere. Trans people have the same civil rights and liberties as anybody else in this country. 

The ACLU is fighting for transgender rights in the courts and in legislatures at both the state and federal level. Join our fight by telling Congress to pass the Equality Act and by looking up anti-trans legislation in your state.

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Further action and resources