Yes

by H. L. Fell

Created on: November 06, 2010

Everyone should be protected by employment discrimination laws. No one should be discriminated against. Physical or mental gender has no effect on work performance, so why should anyone of any gender (naturally or chemically induced) be discriminated against? To discriminate against a transgender or transsexual person is much like discriminating against someone who is ambidextrous or who likes cats over dogs. Why can’t people be or desire both? Must they choose one? And, now that they have chosen and someone doesn’t agree with their choice, should they be discriminated against?

To even pose the question is rather sad, really. It’s almost like asking “Should females be protected by employment discrimination laws?” Should males? Should Caucasoids be protected by employment discrimination laws? Should Mongoloids? Should government officials be protected by employment discrimination laws? Should Taco Bell employees? The answer is yes. They are a person—a human. Their hard work should be appreciated. And no one deserves to be discriminated against.

It also calls in a question of sexism and potential sexual harassment. Transgender and Transsexual people often aren’t considered victims of sexism or sexual harassment by society. However, if a man was asked to leave his work because he was born with a Y chromosome, that would be considered sexism. To argue his case, he might call the question of sexual harassment. After all, discriminating based on gender is harassment on the basis of sex. Therefore it is sexual harassment. (Now, keep in mind, gender sex and sexual acts are completely different things. However, this difference is often not seen.)

When you see a person for the first time, what do you see? I don’t usually see a male or a female. I see a person. I see their hair. Their eyes. I greet them, meet them, and communicate with them. I befriend them. It doesn’t even occur to me “this is a female, I should treat her thus and so.” I don’t treat people differently based on gender. To me a person is a person. They are deserving of the same dignity as everybody else.

Recently on the bus a very beautiful young man sat next to me. He had facial hair but his features were very delicate. Rather than saying “this is a man, he has a beard,” I thought to myself, “here is a girl brave enough to try testosterone.” It’s not the natural first assumption, but this boy was beautiful enough to make it a possibility. Upon speaking with him I discovered that he was in fact male—born that way. To me he was a person. In that right we have something in common. I’m a person. You, who are reading this, are a person. Imagine if I treated him differently because I assumed he was a female-to-male. Now imagine if someone saw you and started treating you differently based on your assumed gender.

Just imagine.

Learn more about this author, H. L. Fell.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.