Transgender Economic Empowerment Initiative (TEEI)

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Transgender Economic Empowerment Initiative (TEEI)
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• JVS San Francisco

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What does transgender mean?

• Someone whose gender identity differs from
  conventional expectations of masculinity or
  femininity
• Someone whose gender identity differs from their
  physical sex as assigned at birth

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Words you may see when referring to the
transgender community
Androgynous   Bigendered Binary Gender Birth Sex/Sex Cross Dresser Drag Queen/Drag King FTM Gender Dysphoria   Gender Expression  Gender-Fluid  Gender Identity Genderqueer Genderphobia  Intersex MTF  Non-Binary Gender  Non-Op   Passing Post-Op Pre-Op Transwoman Transgender Transman Transphobia Transsexual (TS) Transvestite (TV)
0000-iS-0000
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Community Need
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Good Jobs NOW!

• Good Jobs NOW! provides a simple snapshot of the
  economic reality experienced by transgender
  survey respondents. From Feb. 15th through March
  12th 2006, the San Francisco Bay Guardian and
  Transgender Law Center surveyed 194
  self-identified transgender people living,
  working or looking for work in San Francisco.
  These were the results
• 60 earn under 15,300 annually
• 8 earn over 45,900
• 40 do not have a bank account of any kind
• 25 are working full-time, 16 part-time and 9
  have no source of income
• 50 would like career job counseling
• 53 would like further education or training
• 9 dont have a high school diploma88 have
  completed high school23 attended some college
  and over 32 have a college degree.

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Why is there a Transgender Employment Program?

• In January 2006, the unemployment rate for San
  Francisco was 4.7. Conservatively, over 35 of
  the transgender community are unemployed.
• Over 57 of transgender people surveyed through
  Good Jobs NOW! reported experiencing employment
  discrimination, but only 12 have filed an
  administrative or civil complaint as a result.
• San Francisco is estimated to have the largest
  population of transgender people in the country
  at 19,000 individuals.

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Why is there a Transgender Employment Program?
cont

• Employment discrimination based on gender
  identity (laws vary by municipalities and
  states)
• The following categories represent the main kinds
  of discrimination that occur that can make a
  transgender employee feel unappreciated, unwanted
  or unsafe in the workplace
• Discrimination in face-to-face hiring
• Sexual Harassment either towards their gender
  assigned at birth or their gender identity
• Repeated use of old name or pronoun
• Verbal harassment
• Denied promotion opportunities
• Termination from employment due to gender
  identity
• Access to appropriate restroom
• Constant questioning of surgical status

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Collaboration
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4 Collaborative Partners

• JVS Jewish Vocational Service
• THE CENTER The San Francisco Lesbian Gay
  Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) Community Center
• SF TEAM San Francisco Transgender Empowerment
  Advocacy Mentorship
• TLC Transgender Law Center

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Program Components
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Peer-to-Peer Mentoring

• The mentorship program offers peer-based
  education as well as practical and emotional
  support for transgender job seekers throughout
  the job seeking process and early placement
  periods.

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Legal Assistance to Clients and Employers

• The legal services include technical assistance,
  legal consultation and evaluation services to
  employers and direct service providers and their
  participants. Services include
• Training, policy development and workplace
  non-discrimination planning assistance to SF
  employers
• Legal information, workshops and materials
• Legal advice and training to direct service
  providers
• Advice and counseling to program participants
• Ongoing community needs assessment, gap
  assessment and program evaluation for the direct
  transgender employment services

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Job Search and Placement Assistance

• Employment services include assessment, case
  management, counseling, job search and placement
  services, employment training and workshops, and
  post placement services.
• Employment workshops offered are designed
  specifically for transgender clients on topics
  such as name changes and filling out applications
  and paperwork, choosing a comfortable restroom at
  the workplace, issues in appearance, etc.
• Linking job seekers to the One-Stop and their
  resources.

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Community Advisory Board

• The Community Advisory Board provides guidance
  and feedback on the development and
  implementation of TEEI. They participate in
  strategic planning, outreach to the larger
  transgender community, and assist with planning
  and executing events, and in building genral
  support and visibility of the project. Current
  members are
• Positive Resource Center
• Asian Pacific Islander Wellness Center
• EL/La Program Para TransLatinas
• San Francisco Department of Public Health AIDS
  Office
• TRANSTHRIVE
• Walden House
• City College
• The Transgender, Gender Variant and Intersex
  (TGI) Justice Project
• Congregation Sha'ar Zahav
• Ark of Refuge
• Tenderloin Health

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Employer Leadership Council

• The Employer Leadership Council makes
  recommendations for successful employment,
  retention and promotion of transgender employees.
  Activities incorporate opportunities to publicly
  recognize the leadership and vision that these
  companies are making in hiring transgender
  employees. Current members are
• Kimpton Group
• Public Utilities Commission, San Francisco
• San Francsico Airport SFO
• City College of San Francisco
• University of California, San Francisco
• Human Rights Commission, San Francisco

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Funding
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Grants

• Municipal Funding San Francisco Public
  Utilities Commission, San Francisco Airport, and
  San Franciscos General Fund - this is all
  administered through the San Franciscos Human
  Services Agency (HSA)
• State Funding California Employment Development
  Department
• Foundation Funding Walter Elise Haas Senior
  Foundation
• Different lead agencies on grants.

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Training
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Training tools for JVS Staff!

• JVS-San Francisco offered a mandatory ½ day
  training seminar to educate all staff about the
  LGBTQQI community and laws pertaining to
  transgender employment and rights.
• Self-learning tools include
• Jewish Mosaic Trans Respect/Etiquette/Support
  101 (www.jewishmosaic.org)
• Transgender Law Center (www.transgenderlawcenter.o
  rg)
• (www.gendertalk.com/info/resources.html)

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Thank
you!

• For more information, contact
• Emylene Aspilla, Director of Client Services
• 415-782-6269
• easpilla_at_jvs.org