The following statement was issued today by New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. concerning efforts to remove transgender protections from the proposed federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act:

As New York City Comptroller, over the last five and a half years I have worked with the New York City Pension Funds to successfully urge many of America’s largest companies to change policies to provide greater protections in the workplace for gay, lesbian and bisexual workers.

The Pension Funds and Comptroller’s Office traditionally have pursued such protections dating back a decade and a half, and were a leading voice in efforts to pressure Cracker Barrel to embrace such change despite the company’s resistance.

Many of these companies are within the Fortune 500 and are recognized as leaders in Corporate America. They have a responsibility not just to their shareholders, but to their workers, and to consumers, to adopt practices that treat all human beings with respect and dignity.

After discussions with leaders in the LGBT communities, my office two years ago began to expand the scope of these shareholder resolutions to specifically call upon them to incorporate the tenets of the Equality Principles into their policies. The Equality Principles involve the adoption of written employee non-discrimination policies on sexual orientation and gender identity in the workplace.

Subsequently, my office has prompted Toys ‘R’ Us, the Cerner Corporation, DTE Energy, GenCorp, Inc, Wendy’s, Robert Half International, First Horizon Financial Corporation, WESCO, Advance Auto Parts, Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc. and HCC Insurance Holdings, among others, to enact such changes.
The reason we broadened our efforts to encompass gender identity as well as sexual orientation protections is simple: If companies adopt these measures, they are sending a direct signal that they value everyone equally, and in doing so are providing shields against bias and discrimination. The Pension Funds and I wholeheartedly believe that discrimination in any form should not be tolerated, and that people should not be victimized in the workplace. We are joined in our resolve to help bring equality to the workplace.
Therefore, I staunchly believe that the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act, or ENDA, needed to be amended similarly to include language to protect gender identity and gender expression. So it is particularly troubling that a new measure has been introduced that specifically excludes transgender protections. Such a measure is fractious and a sizeable step back.

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