San Francisco Poised to Make Transgender History, Again!

San Francisco, CA – June 30, 2006 – Last night, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors Budget Committee unanimously approved a historic $300,000 commitment aimed at turning around high rates of poverty in San Francisco’s transgender communities. Thirteen years after San Francisco outlawed discrimination against transgender employees, the Committee earmarked funds to improve employment and entrepreneurial opportunities in order to overcome high rates of unemployment and underemployment among transgender people in the city.

“The Comprehensive Transgender Employment Initiative is a great investment for San Francisco,” said San Francisco Supervisor Bevan Dufty. “Too many well qualified transgender people who want to work or start businesses are frozen out of the market. The Initiative is a vital first step in making sure that this community can fully participate and contribute to the wellbeing of our great city.”

The unanimous support of the Committee demonstrates the importance and timeliness of the Initiative. Joining Supervisor Dufty in voting for funding the Initiative was Committee Chair Chris Daly, Board President Aaron Peskin, Supervisors Ross Mirkarimi and Sean Elsbernd. “This commitment is overdue,” said Daly. “For too long, transgender people in my district and throughout the city have been isolated from living wage jobs and career opportunities. This initial investment signals an end to that reality and a strong step forward in full inclusion.”

Community members hail the vote and the support of elected officials. “It’s a great time to be living and working in San Francisco. This historic vote reinforces the city’s role as a national leader in the transgender equality movement,” said Cecilia Chung, Deputy Director of the Transgender Law Center. “Just five years after the city began offering health insurance equality for city employees, this initiative will set a new milestone in transgender history by creating full and fair employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for our community.”

Funding for the Initiative will be managed by the City’s Human Services Agency (HSA) which oversees workforce development. HSA Director Trent Rhorer added, “we are excited to be part of a public collaborative developing this much effort.” San Francisco’s Airport and the Public Utilities Commission collaboratively contributed $100,000 to the Initiative so that some of the employment training programs will be specifically geared to meet their employment and hiring needs.

# # # 30 # # #

Transgender Law Center (www.transgenderlawcenter.org) TLC is a civil rights organization advocating for transgender communities through direct legal services, education, community organizing, and policy and media advocacy. Thanks to support from the Women’s Foundation of California, TLC and the San Francisco Bay Guardian recently released Good Jobs Now!, a report on the economic health of San Francisco’s transgender communities. It is available for free at TLC’s website.