Long Beach protects transgender rights

City Council updates workplace nondiscrimination policy

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Two weeks after the city announced that it would host the Long Island PrideFest next year, the City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to update the city’s employee policy manual to include protection of transgender rights.

“The city’s policy currently contains language regarding nondiscrimination against any employee on the basis of sex,” City Manager Jack Schnriman said. “We are amending the policy to further safeguard and to ensure that no discrimination shall be tolerated when it comes to an employee’s gender identity, self-image, appearance or expression.”

City officials and LGBT advocates said they hope the measure encourages other municipalities on Long Island and across the state to implement laws protecting transgender rights. “I believe it’s an important revision, because it recognizes and acknowledges the real need to protect individuals who, unfortunately, face discrimination and harassment because of their gender identity,” Councilwoman Eileen Goggin said.

The move was praised by the Long Island LGBT Network and the Long Island Transgender Advocacy Coalition, which cited a lack of legal protections for transgender workers.

David Kilmnick, chief executive officer of the LGBT Network, called the measure “the most advanced legislation protecting the trans community” on Long Island. He added that a national transgender survey recently found that 26 percent of people who identify as transgender had lost a job due to violence, 50 percent had been harassed on the job, 20 percent had been evicted or denied housing, and 78 percent of transgender students had been harassed or assaulted.

“Clear nondiscrimination laws protecting gender identity and expression are an important part of the solution, because they can help stop discrimination before it happens,” Kilmnick said. “… Long Beach is doing exactly what is needed, and is an example of the type of policy that should be implemented from Mineola to Albany and everywhere in between.”

The city’s employee policy manual was created in 2007, and is periodically reviewed so it can be kept current with applicable state and federal policies, and to incorporate any necessary changes. The manual already prohibits discrimination based on age, race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or military status.

The updated workplace protection policy states that the term sex “shall include actual or perceived sex and shall also include a person’s gender identity, self-image, appearance, behavior or expression, whether or not that gender identity, self-image, appearance, behavior or expression is different from that traditionally associated with the legal sex assigned at birth.”

The measure comes on the heels of last week’s vigil at Kennedy Plaza to honor those who were killed at a gay nightclub in Orlanda, Fla., on June 12.

Council Vice President Anthony Eramo said that council members and the city administration had discussed revising the employee policy manual before the Orlando shooting, and before the city agreed to host PrideFest. “We’ve been talking about it for a while, and the timing just happened to coincide with the announcement of PrideFest and the tragedy in Orlando,” Eramo said. “This was in the works before because we’re an inclusive city, and I think the fact that we’re going to host PrideFest demonstrates that to everyone.”

The new policy also comes amid a national debate over restroom access for transgender people, something the city did not specifically address.

“Another important step for governments to take is to issue guidance or rules about what the law means, such as stating that transgender people have the right to use set specific facilities that match who they are,” Kilmnick told the council.