Work has long been a battlefield for trans people. I know, I’ve been there. The discrimination at work is horrible and I know it can get very ugly, even for a “traditional” white male. It’s not only the trans people of color that endure these scraps of hate speech; it’s the white supremacy that pervades the workplace. And you know what?
The more I think about it, I realize that my coworkers were probably the majority, but they were still representing the establishment. So, why are they doing it? Is it because they fear the trans people will somehow steal our jobs or cause an uprising of the trans population? Or is it that they just don’t want to do the job – which requires a lot of hard labor – and thus Trans people aren’t desirable to them. Maybe there are deeper forces at work at the corporate office that need to be examined. But now we need to turn to the Workplace Relations Act for help.
Unfortunately, the Workplace Relations Act does not encompass trans issues in the workplace. This means that any problems that trans people have with their bosses or the workplace has to be brought within the existing laws and regulations of employment. This is not a solution. No matter how bad the trans problem is, it has to be brought under laws that trans people live by every day, not just when we go to work.
This means that the trans lobby has successfully gotten the Work Place Relations Act passed, covering only employment law, not employment practices. This is unfortunate, but unfortunately there are no laws protecting our rights when it comes to our workplaces. The Employment Relations Authority has been forced to scrap sections of the act due to this and the result is a very ambiguous document. The result of all this? It is essentially meaningless. No one can point to a concrete example or practical application of the Act when it comes to trans issues.
This means that trans workers are left to their own devices, and if things get too bad there is very little that can be done. Trans people face huge barriers on the job, including discrimination both at work and on the trans-front. Trans people need help when they are in trouble at work, but the workplace is often too far away to offer help or even to provide support. This is a major problem, which affect trans people across the board, but it is hardly something that can be tackled in Transitional Housing accommodation.
What can you do? If you feel that you have been discriminated against at work due to your trans status, then you have to take steps to make sure that you don’t suffer in the future. You might choose to go down the path of filing a complaint with your employer through an employment attorney. It is a good idea to seek legal advice first though, just to make sure that you understand your rights and what the employer’s responsibilities are. If your employer has failed to comply with the legal obligations, then you have a case to bring before an employment court. This is where you will have the opportunity to speak about your trans rights and file your complaint.
