Congresswoman Yvette Clarke Statement To End Bias Against Black Trans People

I missed this one when it originally was posted on the NBJC website during the TDOR, but it needs to be seen especially with us in the holiday season and less than two weeks from starting a new year.  

I'm not surprised to hear that it came from Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (D-NY).   Back in 2007 she was one of the group of liberal progressive Democrats who voted NO against Barney's unjust trans free ENDA bill..

She also released this statement in reaction to the Injustice At Every Turn survey that documents just how much hell African-American transpeople are catching.

“I applaud the National Black Justice Coalition and its partners The National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force for this groundbreaking survey. We have always had anecdotal information regarding the tremendous hurdles that Black transgender people face, but this survey provides us with cold, hard facts - facts that we as policy makers must act on!
 
“One of the most important findings in this survey was that anti-transgender bias, coupled with structural and individual racism, resulted in transgender people of color experiencing devastatingly high levels of discrimination. Specifically, Black respondents reported the highest levels of discrimination, including a 26% unemployment rate, which is two times the rate of the overall transgender sample and four times the rate of the general population; a 32% job lost due to anti-transgender bias; and, of those who are employed, 15% report being physically assaulted at work and 13% report being sexually assaulted at work simply because they are transgender.

“We are in the 21^st century, and most enlightened people would have expected that issues of discrimination – especially in education and employment – would have been eradicated by now.  Discrimination in any form and against any individual or group is not acceptable. Therefore, in the coming months, I will work with the National Black Justice Coalition to shed light on these findings and to address the issues raised by this important survey.”