West Palm Beach To Protect Transgender Residents
The West Palm Beach City Commission has voted unanimously to adopt an ordinance prohibiting discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodation based on gender identity and expression.
The ordinance requires one more Commission vote before being finalized.
The firing last month in Largo, Florida of City Manager Steve Stanton after Stanton began sex reassignment played a factor in the decision said a West Palm LGBT rights organization.
Stanton's firing prompted the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council to contact West Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel.
"This type of blatant discrimination could happen to any of the transgender people living and working in West Palm Beach," warned civil rights attorney Rand Hoch, President of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council.
"West Palm Beach provides protection from discrimination based on such diverse categories as race, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability, marital status and age. People who do not fit society's stereotypes of masculinity and femininity deserve the same protection," said Hoch.
Following his letter to Frankel, Hoch consulted with Heather Wright, facilitator of the gender support group that meets at COMPASS, Palm Beach County's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community center.
"Transgendered persons should be able to show they can still perform their job duties at expected performance levels during and after their transitions," said Wright. "If employers are required by law to provide equal opportunity, in most cases they will retain their valued employees."
"Gender identity reflects a person's own sense of identity as a man, a woman, something in between, or neither," explained Wright, who has been employed for almost a decade at a Fortune 500 company. Wright transitioned from male to female seven years ago.
"Gender expression is the external presentation or appearance of a person's internal gender image," said Wright. "We use the word 'transgender' to describe people whose gender identity does not fit traditional gender roles or whose gender identity or expression is not adequately described by the sex assigned to them at birth."
"It is not uncommon for transgendered persons to have felt since early childhood that something was wrong genderwise," said Wright.
At this evening's meeting, City Commission President Bill Moss reminded his colleagues about the City's long history of leadership on issues of fairness in employment matters.
Assistant City Attorney Joshua Koehler told the City Commission that to protect minorities from discrimination it was necessary to identify them specifically.
Although unable to attend the City Commission meeting, Frankel was reached in Tallahassee following this evening's vote.
"West Palm Beach is pleased to be a leader when it comes to human rights," said Frankel.
"Tonight West Palm Beach has sent a very clear message to employers, landlords, and business owners that people who do not fit traditional gender stereotypes deserve the same protections as other minorities who have been victims of discrimination," said Hoch.
"While, I work for a company truly that values diversity, many other transgendered people are not given the same opportunity to prove themselves on the job," said Wright. "It is unfortunate that having this opportunity is the exception – rather than the rule – in the business world. That is why this ordinance is so important."
The City Commission will vote again on May 7 before the law takes effect.
In 1991 West Palm Beach became the first Florida city to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation in public employment. The following year, the city established another Florida landmark by becoming the first to extend domestic partnership benefits to municipal employees.
Only Gulfport, Key West, Miami Beach and Monroe County prohibit both public and private employers from discriminating based on gender expression and identity.
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