According to a recent and thorough report on the state of work for TGNCNB people in New York State, transgender, gender nonconforming, and non-binary people experience higher levels of discrimination and harassment during the interviewing process and at work.
The study was ordered by state lawmakers as part of a policy that passed in 2022 after it had been blocked for years when Republicans controlled the upper house. The document, which was published by the New York State Department of Labor and includes work statistics and subjective comments, represented the culmination of a long-stalled program.
The Household Pulse Survey from the Census Bureau, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and state surveys dispersed by the New York LGBT Health and Human Services Network were all used in the report’s compilation of data sources. The review did, however, emphasize that statistics were unevenly weighted, with research frequently including significantly more trans respondents than transgender respondents.
The report’s data revealed unsettling office challenges. Respondents to the TGNCNB reported being harassed in the form of violence, sexual harassment, intrusive questions, jokes, improper touching, and other hostile behaviors. TGNCNB employees in public-facing positions, like those in the service sector, even experienced harassment while working. Overall, a lot of people complained that their employers didn’t deal with the problems.
The document also looked at the general level of prejudice against TGNCNB members. For instance, the state’s Division of Human Rights received more than 1,200 complaints about gender identity or expression by the month of October 2023, with 65% of those complaints relating to employment discrimination and 26% pertaining to accommodations for the disabled.
According to the BRFSS study, 49% of trans people in the state were employed or self-employed, while 56% of transgender people were. In the meantime, the same survey found that 7% of transgender people reported poverty, while 15% of transgender people did not.
The report also clarified the standard financial problems that transgender New Yorkers face, among many other things. According to data gathered from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 32% of trans New Yorkers report having a household income under $25,000, compared to just 13% of cisgender people. On the other hand, there are twice as many cisgender people who earn more than $50,000: Compared to 42% of trans people, 20% of them have a household income of at least $50,000.
The Needs Assessment Survey from the 2021 LGBT Health and Human Services Network showed that TGNCNB New Yorkers are marginalized compared to transgender gay persons. At the time of their survey response, only 6% of trans women and 9% of cis queer men were unemployed, despite the fact that 21%, 14%, and 11% of GNCNB members were.
One-third of transgender New Yorkers who did not complete high school never completed it, which is significantly higher than the 12% of transgender students in the city. Only 20% of transgender New Yorkers, compared to 36% for trans residents, have a college education.
Additionally, statistics indicate that TGNCNB members have run into difficulties in attempting to reconcile their gender identity with their lawful recognition. 33% of TGNCNB respondents in the 2021 Network Needs Assessment survey wanted to change the gender marker on their birth certificate, but only 19% had done so.
In order to learn more about specific experiences, the report also included qualitative responses in addition to the statistical data. These responses even gave TGNCNB members of color the opportunity to elaborate on problematic workplace or job experiences. Comments on a public online form described racial discrimination in conjunction with gender identity or expression-based bias. According to the record, this kind of hostile environment prevents people from speaking up.
Going to HR “is no satisfaction, since many members have not only been misogynistic but also indulging in boldly racist jokes” and “some anti-semitic comments,” according to one Black and Latinx trans lady who submitted a reply.
One dual-spirit person who identifies as an American Indian/Alaskan Native claimed that their home had thrown them out of the house when they first began their transition and had only been able to secure internship positions.
The report made a number of suggestions for future improvements, such as requiring standard data collection on gender identity, labor development initiatives for TGNCNB communities, social skills and GENDA coaching across New York, easier access to legal ID updates, and resources for those who have worked in the justice program. Additionally, the document recommended expanding the Lorena Borjas Transgender Wellness and Equity Fund, which directs funding to groups that assist trans people in the state.
Calls to increase the Lorena Borjas fund were welcomed by New Pride Agenda, a provincial LGBTQ organization that helped spearhead the effort.
According to Elisa Crespo, senior director of New Pride Agenda, “we know that trans-led and serving organizations are best equipped to provide the necessary labor advancement training to ensure TGNCNB people have access to productive employment.”
According to Crespo, the report supports the ubiquitous nature of gender-based employment discrimination as well as the compounded disparities that TGNCNB people of color face. Crespo emphasized the significance of giving TGNCNB employees more career opportunities and training businesses. Even so, she claimed, New York is in a much better position than some other states given the flood of anti-trans rules that have engulfed various state governments.
“We continue to think that New York offers more opportunities for TGNCNB employees than the majority of states in the nation, despite the work challenges the city faces,” according to Crespo. “The next generation of TGNCNB New Yorkers will be able to live and thrive, not just succeed, thanks to NPA’s partnership with the governor, legislators, corporate partners, and the NYSDOL.”
The report was accompanied by a letter from Kiara St. James, who co-founded New York Transgender Advocacy Group and advocated for the policy that resulted in it. The letter emphasized the significance of gathering information about the TGNCNB community in order to argue for care, housing, job, and other areas.
In the statement, St. James stated that “collecting information turns to identifying the needs and priorities of disadvantaged areas.”
Governor Kathy Hochul vowed to use the information to solve the state’s pervasive disparities after the report was released.
According to Governor Hochul, “New York State has maintained a serious commitment to providing greater regard, stronger safeguards, and better opportunities for the LGBTQ+ community,” despite being the origin of the LGBT+ civil rights movement. This report “charts a course for overcoming the obstacles transgender, gender non-conforming, and non-binary New Yorkers face in their daily lives at work.” “My administration may continue to offer the tools and protections required for every New Yorker to live free from prejudice because the city is still dedicated to offering all workers an equal and open work.”
