100 th Major Corp Adds Gender Identity/Expression to EEO Policies

   WASHINGTON, DC (September 27, 2005)—The number of major corporations that have added gender identity and/or expression to their non-discrimination policies has surpassed 100, according to the Gender Public Advocacy Coalition (GenderPAC).recent expansions to the EEO policies of companies such as defense contractor Raytheon, auto manufacturer DaimlerChrysler, investment bank Credit Suisse First Boston, and health-care provider Kaiser Permanente, the total now stands at 104.

   “This is a major milestone in corporate America 's work to keep workplaces free from discrimination and harassment caused by gender stereotypes.” said Riki Wilchins, Executive Director of GenderPAC. “Measuring up to outdated notions about ‘masculinity' and ‘femininity' is no longer a condition for employment or promotion at more than 100 companies covering hundreds of thousands of American employees.”

   A Brief History

   Gender identity refers to a person's sense of being male or female, while gender expression describes how people manifest feeling masculine or feminine through how they look, act, or dress.

   Ten years ago, no major corporation included gender identity or expression in its non-discrimination policies. Lucent Technologies became the first large corporation known to offer such protections in 1997.

   With the recent addition of bellwether corporations like Citigroup, JP Morgan Chase and IBM, the tide seems to have turned. In 2004, 30 corporations updated their policies. To date in 2005, 41 have already done likewise. Added Wilchins, “Protecting employees from discrimination caused by gender stereotypes is clearly the next edge of “best practice” in the workplace.”

   Who Benefits from Gender Identity & Expression Protections

   Policies that include gender identity and expression clauses protect virtually every employee, not just gay or transgender employees as often believed, according to GenderPAC. Women who are viewed as “too aggressive” or simply “unfeminine”, new fathers who have taken paternity leave and feel that management has put them on a “Daddy Track”, and male employees who are the target of locker-room “boys will be boys” antics because they are seen as unaggressive would benefit from the more inclusive EEO policies.

   Desiree Goodwin, Joseph Oncale, and Dana Rivers—all employees who suffered discrimination or harassment based on gender stereotypes—would benefit from more inclusive EEO policies. Desiree Goodwin, a seasoned librarian at Harvard University , was told by a supervisor that she would never be promoted because she “was seen merely as a pretty girl who wore sexy outfits, low-cut blouses, and tight pants.” In the case of Joseph Oncale, oil-rig co-workers repeatedly menaced him for being slender, blond, longhaired, and wearing an earring. And Dana Rivers, an award-winning California Public School teacher, was dismissed by the school board after informing the administration that she would be transitioning to a female role.

   “EEO policies with gender identity and/or expression protections would ensure employees like Goodwin, Oncale and Rivers receptive work environments where they would be judged by the quality of their work and not by their conforming to gender norms,” said Wilchins.

   GenderPAC's Workplace Fairness Program works with and trains corporations that are adding gender identity and expression to their EEO policies, providing on-site training and at-a-distance consultation. GenderPAC is the first and oldest organization providing such trainings and has trained more than 2,000 managers, human resources professionals, attorneys and employees since 1999.

   GenderPAC also provides in-depth trainings on male-on-male sexual harassment, transitioning in the workplace, and common questions of legal departments on a broad range of gender and employment issues. For a complete listing of major companies that have gender identity and/or expression protections, visit www.gpac.org/workplace.