Trans Rights & Protections

Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Non-Binary (TGNCNB) individuals face violence, discrimination, and barriers to accessing necessary services at alarmingly high rates. We envision a world where TGNCNB individuals have equal rights, are free from violence and discrimination, and have access to quality housing, healthcare, education, and employment opportunities. We demand better laws and policies that see beyond a gender binary and recognize the validity of TGNCNB rights and identities.

Problem

The year 2020 has seen a record-breaking number of anti-TGNCNB bills introduced and passed through state legislatures, which have fanned the flames of anti-TGNCNB discrimination in the areas of housing, employment, healthcare, education, public accommodations. At the same time, violence against TGNCNB people continues at alarming rates, as more than one in four TGNCNB people have experienced a bias-driven assault. Rates of violence continue to be significantly higher for TGNCNB people of color, and particularly for Black trans women, immigrant trans women, and trans women who are incarcerated. 

Our Plan

Trans and nonbinary rights are human rights and civil rights. Addressing the root causes of anti-TGNCNB violence, discrimination, and transphobic policies requires focusing on public education, policy change, and community advocacy. 

• Promote dignity & prevent discrimination in employment, housing, healthcare, and access to public places such as bathrooms.

  • Address housing discrimination by fighting transphobic policies and supporting TGNCNB-inclusive laws, policies, and organizations. 

    • Support organizations that are investing in trans-led movements and safety.

    • Advocate for Congress to pass the Equality Act in order to expand federal civil rights law to include LGBTQ2+ non-discrimination protections. 

    • Resist conservatives’ attempts to undermine the Equal Access Law in order to prevent discrimination against TGNCNB individuals within all HUD-assisted programs.

    • Enforce the Supreme Court’s June 2020 Bostock v. Clayton County ruling to protect TGNCNB individuals from employment discrimination.

  • Reverse the Trump administration’s decision to rescind protections for transgender students in public schools.

    • Support transgender students’ access to bathrooms that meet their gender identity.

  • Eliminate transphobic dress code policies in the workplace and in schools.

  • Support policies that help facilitate the full inclusion of TGNC students on sports teams in school athletic programs.

• Eliminate barriers to healthcare.

  • Reverse the Trump administration's decision to remove nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people with regards to healthcare and health insurance.

  • Ban insurance exclusions to transgender healthcare, and pass state laws that allow for transition-related coverage through state Medicaid.

  • Ban religious refusal laws that grant agencies, healthcare facilities, organizations, and businesses license to discriminate against TGNCNB individuals.

• Lessen barriers to accessing gender-affirming ID.

  • Advocate for policies that facilitate gender marker updates on driver’s licenses and birth certificates.

    • Push for the Biden administration to issue an executive order updating the process by which federal agencies change gender markers on IDs.

  • Include a 3rd gender/intersex/gender neutral option on legal documents.

• End the detention of TGNCNB asylum-seekers and utilize alternatives to detention.

This Matters

Transgender and gender non-conforming people matter. It is past time to support this community that has been attacked and marginalized due to stigma and discrimination. We must ensure their rights and safety, increase their access to resources, and mandate accountability in public policy and protection laws.