Mon., May 16
Transgender Rights and Recognition

A new study by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality paints a grim picture for transgender people in the US: difficulty finding and maintaining employment, workplace harassment and discrimination, homelessness, disturbing treatment by government agencies, and extremely high rates of poverty and suicide.

In Massachusetts, where same-sex marriage has been recognized since 2004, the LGBT community enjoys strong support, and to outsiders the Bay State has been a haven of social progressivism. But while progress has been made, rights and recognition for the state's transgender population continue to lag. It's estimated that the state spends $3 to $5 million each year to compensate for the employment discrimination, job loss, health coverage, and poverty assistance. A new bill on Beacon Hill would change all this, making it illegal to discriminate against a person based on gender identity.

Guests:
Diane Delap, a Massachusetts state worker, and a transgender female.
Jody Herman, Public Policy Fellow at the Williams Institute in the UCLA School of Law, and researcher for the new study on the cost of transgender discrimination.
Kara Suffredini, Executive Director of MassEquality.