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On this pageFirst Congressional Hearing on Transgender Discrimination Called Executive Order Requires E-Verify System TSA Changes Policy on Flying Without an ID NCTE Issues Analysis of the REAL ID Act US Supreme Court Hears Voter ID Case New Jersey Passes Hate Crimes/Anti-Bullying Law
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News 2008Congressman Rob Andrews to Hold First Congressional Hearing on Transgender Discrimination (Washington, DC, June 25) Congressman Rob Andrews (D-NJ), Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee, has called the nation’s first hearing on transgender issues. The hearing, “An Examination of Discrimination Against Transgender Americans in the Workplace,” will be held on Thursday, June 26, at 10:30 AM in room 2175 in the Rayburn House Office Building. The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) looks forward to Congress’ investigation of this important issue. Chairman Andrews has called the following witnesses:
The minority party has called the following witnesses:
Statement by Mara Keisling, Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality: "We are grateful to Chairman Andrews and Congresspeople Barney Frank and Tammy Baldwin for their leadership on the very serious topic of ending workplace discrimination. As long as people are working, they shouldn’t be fired from their job just because of their gender identity or expression. Transgender Americans too often face tremendous obstacles in obtaining and holding meaningful employment and we are glad that Congress is thoroughly investigating the topic.” For more information, visit our page on this topic. Two New Federal Policy Changes With Some Impact on Transgender PeopleJune 12, 2008 This week the federal government announced two new policy changes that may be of interest to transgender people and allies. Although neither has significant direct impact on trans people, NCTE is concerned that trans people and our allies may misinterpret the implications to be more serious, specific threats than they are. To be sure, both of these policies are bad policies and mean-spirited attempts by the administration to appear to be solving problems. NCTE opposes both, but we do so because they represent further general degradation of our rights, which the administration seems set on continuing to the very end of its time in office. Executive Order Requiring Federal Contractors to Use E-Verify system. On Monday, the White House announced Executive Order # 12989 which will require all federal contractors to verify the employment status of every employee using the seriously flawed E-Verify database system. Until now, E-Verify was a mostly voluntary system for employers to verify that their new employees were using legitimate names, social security numbers and immigration status. This executive order will make the system mandatory for hundreds of thousands of employees, putting all at risk for serious misunderstandings and adverse job actions caused by an intolerably flawed database. Please note that the E-Verify is NOT the system through which trans people have been receiving gender no-match letters that out them at work. In fact, the E-Verify system that government contractors must now use does not allow for mandatory or optional gender matching and therefore, as of now, cannot and does not cause gender no-match letters. The primary system that triggers most employment-related gender no-matches is called Social Security Number Verification System (SSNVS ) and is not impacted by this executive order. (Note that SSA has numerous verification systems which can impact gender no-matches, but E-Verify is not one of them.) NCTE has made it a priority this year working to change SSNVS and related systems to eliminate gender no-match letters. In addition to rampant documented inaccuracies in the database, the E-Verify system is under attack because it is clearly designed to scapegoat immigrants who are likely to face wrongful firing and inability to get jobs regardless of their immigration status. Furthermore, Congress has been investigating the negative impact E-Verify and other such systems are having on the Social Security Administration mission. SSA's core functions have suffered dramatically since it began to divert resources into these verification systems.
If you receive a no-match letter at work, please contact NCTE at 202-903-0112 or ncte@nctequality.org TSA Changes Policy for Flying Without ID Effective June 21, the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) will no longer allow airline customers who refuse to show ID access to flights or secure areas in airports. This will include transgender people who refuse to show ID because they believe doing so will reveal flawed documentation that would out them as transgender. However, travelers, including transgender people, who claim to have lost or forgotten their ID will still be allowed through security after a pat down and hand search of carry-on luggage. Thus, the new policy is clearly aimed at supporters of civil liberties who insist on their civil right to unencumbered travel. It will not affect transgender people or others who simply arrive at the airport without ID or who claim such. The policy change is clearly little more than continuing Department of Homeland Security theater meant to make the TSA appear to be is doing its job and to discourage the exercise of court-tested civil rights. NCTE is currently updating our publication on Travel Tips for Transgender People and we hope to make it available shortly. NCTE will prioritize impacting TSA policies beginning next year when a new administration takes office.
If you have trouble traveling because of ID issues or disrespect from TSA agents, please contact NCTE at 202-903-0112 or ncte@nctequality.org. NCTE Issues Analysis of the REAL ID Act(March 14, 2008) NCTE issues a response to the Department of Homeland Security and the REAL ID act. Read more on our REAL ID page. US Supreme Court Hears Voter ID Case Starting Today(January 9, 2008) A voting rights case comes before the United States Supreme Court today. Oral arguments will be heard challenging an Indiana voting law requiring government-issued ID with photo. The court is expected to issue a decision sometime in June 2008, in time for the November Presidential election. Voting issues affect the transgender community, and therefore, this case will be an interesting one to follow. For background on the case, see these webpages: Voter ID Laws Are Set to Face a Crucial Test Voting Rights Advocates Challenge Voter ID Laws Crawford v. Marion County Election Board And also, don’t forget to check out NCTE’s Voting webpage and our publication, “Overcoming Voting Obstacles.” Victory in New Jersey! New Jersey Legislature Passes Gender Identity/Expression
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