Re: As an employer... (job requirements)

[Denise Fritch <dfritch -at- INTELLICORP -dot- COM>]

Julie,

> There is a bill floating around Congress called the Employment
> Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). If that passes, sexual orientation
> (but not gender presentation) will be considered a protected
> class, in a fairly limited way, on a national basis.

The bill about which you are probably speaking is one sponsored by Sen.
Kennedy. It has been "worked on" for years, something that is typical in
Congress. Remember, it took 10 years just to enact the Freedom of
Information Act. While Sen. Kennedy's bill does include sexual orientation,
it will also include "gender presentation" too. Given the political make-up
of the Congress the past dozen years however, obtaining passage of any such
legislation is difficult.

There is also action on-going to eliminate practices even in government. For
someone classified as (your term) "gender presentation", obtaining a
passport -- something most people would not stop to think about -- is
difficult.

As for "gender presentation" itself, most of the people involved are born
with an extra chromosome. Instead of being XX or XY, they test out as XXY or
XYY. Further, when people think about a "gender change" thoughts are of
male-to-female, yet about half of all transitions are female-to-male.

> It is protected on a state-by-state
> basis, and in some cities, but fewer than 20 states have added
> sexual orientation and/or gender presentation to their
> anti-discrimination laws.

True. Yet what is most disheartening is that we, as a society, even need
such "laws" to allow all people to be treated as equal to others. California
has such laws, even to including "gender presentation", yet the reason for
those laws is that such discrimination existed before the enactment of the
laws, and continues to exist even though the laws are in place.

Best,

     Denise L. Fritch
     Sr. Technical Writer
     IntelliCorp, Inc.
     Mountain View, CA

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