Dallas Area Rapid Transit Approves Transgender Inclusive Anti-Discrimination Policy

06/22/10-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

Cee Cee Cox addressing DART board photo by C.D. Kirven

Today, the Dallas Area Rapid Transit or DART board unanimously approved a transgender inclusive policy with regards to employees of the business which services the Dallas area after removing a one word amendment which would have gutted the measure. While it is not the first Dallas based business to have such a policy, any movement with regards to this particular issue is always an improvement. Cee Cee Cox of Resource Center Dallas stated in response to their vote “We still have work to do but this vote goes in the win column.”

C.D. Kirven, Co-Founder of Get EQUAL Now stated at the board meeting “The only identification that really matters is human and that’s a right no company should deny any employee. Hopely the government will also know that allowing companies to discriminate is condoning economic voilence against the LGBT community.” She also stated “GET EQUAL NOW is joining others in boycotting Exxon and hopefully they will take a page out of your policy book to add LGBT workplace protections for all employees because this is just about the respect for basic human rights.”

Exxon has been resistant to amending their non-discrimination policies.

LGBT community standing up in DART board meeting together for soladarity photo by C. D. Kirven

The move would ban the firing of an employee for being transgender. Gender identity and gender identification are not absolutes with regards to the way in which a person may dress or see themselves. Many transwomen and transmen transition on the job and face harassment and discrimination because of this. Some people chose to dress in a manner which is less than conforming with the gender expressions expected of them by society, and it is especially common for women to dress in a more masculine manner.

Pam Curry, Jeese Garica of LULAC, Cee Cee Cox of Resource Center Dallas and Michael Robinson of GET EQUAL NOW have been fighting hard to get DART to include transgender protections in their non-discrimination policy.