Human resources and career development experts at Emory University are urging graduates to apply for jobs in the United States in order to gain access to healthcare and other benefits.
The university said the advice was based on research into the impact of transgender discrimination on health, employment and education.
However, the advice does not take into account other discrimination that is still a reality for transgender people, such as harassment, assault, and violence.
“It’s important to acknowledge that discrimination in the workplace and other types of discrimination are still a huge issue for transgender and gender diverse individuals and people of color,” said Alia Samani, an assistant professor of public and organizational ethics at Emley.
“But to make progress towards equality in the workforce, you have to acknowledge and address those issues.”
Emory said the school has launched a website to help trans and gender-nonconforming students find employment in the country.
The site, Trans and Gender-Nonconforming Jobs in the U.S., is accessible in multiple languages.
The website also provides tips on how to find a job, including tips on applying for healthcare and benefits, as well as job opportunities.
The report said that many transgender people are reluctant to apply to jobs in places where they are not welcome, such in hospitals and nursing homes, because of fear of discrimination.
“We don’t want to think about those things,” Samani said.
“So we really need to make it easy for them to do that.”
In 2016, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission found that transgender people faced workplace discrimination in nearly three-quarters of U.A.E. states.
The commission found that discrimination is pervasive in the healthcare industry and that transgender employees are often overlooked for medical appointments, pay, and other aspects of health care.
However this year, transgender Americans have begun to see progress in employment, especially for transgender veterans and people with disabilities.
However the report also noted that the US still has a long way to go in getting transgender and non-binary people equal rights in healthcare, education and other workplace protections.
Samani believes that transgender and transgender-identified veterans should be included in the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in 2020.
“For us, we need to be included, and that means that transgender women and people who are transgender can be included,” Samane said.
Samane, who also works at the Emory Gender Studies Program, added that she hoped the ERA would help more transgender and trans-identified people in the future.
“If we can address the discrimination that trans and trans people face in the health care and the education system, then that will make a huge difference,” she said.
Alia Boulware, an associate professor of sociology at Emry, said the report has some limitations.
“The authors have not tested whether these kinds of disparities are a function of transgender people having gender dysphoria,” BoulWare said.
According to the report, transgender people and gender nonconforming people experience gender dysphoric experiences at similar rates.
However transgender people who have a physical and mental gender identity that differs from the sex assigned at birth experience higher rates of gender dysphorical distress, Boulwen said.
Boulken also noted some limitations to the research.
“Our study was based only on employment applications, and there are many different types of healthcare providers that can accept applicants who do not fit a gender binary,” she added.
Samany, of Emory, noted that transgender students face higher rates in unemployment.
The Emory study, she said, is based on the fact that transgender workers are more likely to be in the job market than other groups of people.
However Boulaws said the data on transgender employment is still limited.
“In general, we don’t know the full extent of the employment problems for transgender workers,” she explained.
“And so, it’s important that we find the data to find the answers.”
Emry is also considering changing its hiring policies.
Samania said that transgender candidates who were hired should be allowed to use bathrooms, locker rooms, and shower rooms that align with their gender identity.
Samanya said that in order for transgender students to access healthcare, they need to have access to a healthcare provider that supports them.
“As a student of gender, gender identity, gender expression, I believe in access to all healthcare and supports,” Samany said.