October 11, 2000
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jamison Green (510) 393-4785 (through 10/22/00)
or Shannon Minter (415) 392-6257 (after 10/22/00)TRANSPEOPLE REMOVED FROM CALIFORNIA DISABILITY LAW EXCLUSIONS
Assemblymember Sheila Kuehl scored another win for transsexual and transgendered people in California when Governor Davis signed A.B. 2222 into law. A.B. 2222 strengthens protections for Californians against disability-related discrimination under the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). The bill is a response to recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions that significantly limited the protections under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Among other provisions, A.B. 2222 removes Transsexualism and Gender Identity Disorder (GID) from the list of conditions that are excluded from protections, and provides that the California law may provide greater protection than the ADA, which specifically excludes transsexual people and people diagnosed with GID.
The new law requires employers to enter into good faith negotiations with employees regarding "reasonable accommodations" for a disability. This means that those transsexual people who are forced to rely on the law for protection in medically-supervised on-the-job transitions may claim the condition as a disability or a perceived disability and look to this statewide law for support. Also, transgendered people who may be perceived to suffer from GID, regardless of any medical intervention, could be protected from discrimination in employment and housing on the basis of that perception.
FTM International, Inc. and the west coast office of Gender Education & Advocacy, Inc. hailed the announcement of A.B. 2222's enactment as a great step forward for transgender and transsexual civil rights. "The trans community owes a huge debt of gratitude to Assemblymember Kuehl," said Jamison Green, Chairman of Gender Education & Advocacy. "Her efforts got us into the Hate Crimes legislation in California in 1998, and into the Equity in Education Act in 1999. Now this protection in the area of employment and housing makes California one of the most trans-inclusive states in the nation."The new law goes into effect January 1, 2001. After that date, California transpeople who feel they have been discriminated against in employment or housing may file complaints with their local FEHA office anywhere in the state.
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