OHR: Transgender employment discrimination rampant in D.C.
Study finds employers will hire less-qualified cisgender applicants in almost half of all cases
The District of Columbia Office on Human Rights (OHR) on Tuesday released a report showing employers appear to prefer less-qualified cisgender applicants over more-qualified transgender applicants in almost half of all cases.
The findings, based on an OHR study, showed that employers tended to select less-qualified cisgender applicants in 48 percent of tests that received responses from employers. As part of the study, OHR submitted 200 cover letters and resumes to 50 job openings. Each employers received two applications from individuals who appeared to be transgender and two applications from others who did not.
Another finding from the study were that 1 in 3 employers offered interviews to one or more less-qualified cisgender applicants without offering an interview to at least one of the more qualified applicants perceived as transgender. The applicant perceived as a transgender man with previous work experience at a transgender advocacy organization experienced the highest rate of discrimination among the applicants.
The OHR study is the first known government-conducted resume testing focusing on discrimination against transgender or gender non-conforming individuals. It was conducted over a six-month period and tested District employers that included universities, grocery, retail stores, hotels, restaurants, and those offering administrative positions. As a result of the findings, OHR will specifically initiate enforcement actions in November against five of the most egregious cases of employers who engaged in discrimination.
“Statistical and anecdotal evidence tells us transgender and gender non-conforming people are experiencing employment discrimination at very high rates, and this testing project confirms that unfortunate truth,” Mónica Palacio, the director of OHR, said in a statement. “It is vital that government, the business community and advocates work together to end this chronic injustice affecting the transgender and gender non-conforming communities, both in the District and nationwide.”
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