The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO and the Center for American Progress have released a report (pdf), Gay and Transgender Discrimination in the Public Sector, Why It’s a Problem for State and Local Governments, Employees, and Taxpayers which
… shows clear evidence of widespread discrimination in state and local governments and how that discrimination is costly to victims of discrimination, taxpayers, and to state and local governments themselves.
From the Introduction and Summary:
There are approximately 1 million gay or transgender individuals in America today working in state, local, or municipal government. They are firefighters, teachers, police officers, nurses, librarians, child-care providers, sanitation workers, and more. …
Unfortunately, far too many gay and transgender public-sector employees arrive at work each day fearing that they may lose their job due to discrimination. Moreover, these workers often have little or no legal recourse when discrimination occurs. …
Rather than being evaluated on their skills, qualifications, and ability to contribute on the job, gay and transgender workers are all too often not hired, not promoted, or, in the worst cases, fired from their jobs based solely on their sexual orientation and gender identity …
In addition, unfair laws and policies leave many of these employees without the same access to workplace benefits that their straight and nontransgender counterparts currently enjoy. This includes employer-sponsored health insurance benefits … . Given that these benefits are a crucial component of employee compensation, the result is unequal pay for equal work for gay and transgender workers. …
Discrimination against gay and transgender workers introduces costly inefficiencies and thereby imposes significant financial harm on government entities. Discrimination forces out the best and the brightest employees, minimizes productivity, introduces turnover-related costs, and exposes governments to potentially costly litigation. …
There are “many states” which have instituted “commonsense policies that level the playing field for gay and transgender public-sector workers”.
… Where local, state, and federal legislators have failed to pass these types of laws, many mayors and governors have taken administrative action to level the playing field for gay and transgender public-sector workers. …
Despite this progress, there is more work to be done. Only 43 percent of state employees work in a state with a law prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation. Only 31 percent work in a state with a law also prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity. … Only 47 percent of state employees with same-sex partners have access to equal workplace benefits … .
The need is obvious for Congress to pass Employment Non-Discrimination Act.
For their part, states should continue to enact workplace nondiscrimination laws, as well as extend relationship recognition rights to same-sex couples (for example, pass marriage equality legislation) to ensure equal access to workplace benefits.
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