OFCCP Observes Transgender Awareness Week

From the OFCCP:

Transgender Awareness week is annually observed from November 13, 2022 to November 19, 2022. During this time, transgender people and their allies bring attention to the community by educating the public about who transgender people are, sharing stories and experiences, and advancing advocacy to address the prejudice, discrimination, and violence that affect the transgender community. 

A transgender person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia collected data on its transgender population. According to the World Population Review, Washington, D.C. has the highest percentage of transgender individuals at 2.77 and North Dakota has the lowest transgender population. A November 2021 report released by McKinsey & Company concluded that the refusal to hire, privacy violations, being passed over for a promotion and harassment are common occurrences that impact employment rates for transgender people leading to unemployment and poverty.

On January 20, 2021, President Biden issued Executive Order 13988, Preventing and Combating Discrimination based on Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation, committing “to fully enforce Title VII and other laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation.” At OFCCP, we reaffirm our commitment to eliminating discrimination against LGBTQI+ workers and recognize that there is important work to be done to address injustice and inequality.

We enforce Executive Order 11246, which prohibits federal contractors from discriminating against job applicants and employees based on sexual orientation and gender identity. We are committed to eliminating discrimination against transgender workers and promoting inclusive workplaces. We are currently investigating complaints based on gender identity.

OFCCP will continue to work diligently to better understand and address the challenges faced by transgender jobseekers and workers, and to help federal contractors build workplaces that are more inclusive.

We have resources available for contractors and workers on gender identity discrimination including:

• Frequently Asked Questions on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
• Worker Rights Fact Sheet on sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination