Courtesy

Wisconsin state Rep. Mark Spreitzer, D-Beloit, at a news conference at the state Capitol, introduced a bill to add protections to Wisconsin statutes against discrimination based on a person’s gender identity or gender expression.

“In Wisconsin we have a rich history of leadership on issues of nondiscrimination and today we seek to continue that tradition by including critical legal protections for the transgender community in our state law.” said Spreitzer.

State Reps. Mark Spreitzer and Jocasta Zamarripa are the Assembly lead authors and Sen. Ten Carpenter has taken the lead on the legislation in the Senate.

Carpenter said, “There have been important strides in recent years for LGBT rights and protections, but there is still much work to be done. This bill will continue to help advance all people’s dignity and equality under the law."

The Privacy Protection and Gender Identity Anti-Discrimination Act is in circulation for co-sponsorship.

Members of the transgender community joined Spreitzer to share their stories about the need for this important legislation.

“There are approximately 58,000 Wisconsinites who are transgender or non-binary. All we ask is that people treat us with respect and judge us as individuals rather than assuming we are stereotypes.” said Loree Cook-Daniels, FORGE policy and program director.

The bill would provide protections in areas such as employment, housing, public accommodations, job services, the UW system, Wisconsin Technical College system, public or charter schools, health insurance, car insurance, jury duty and the Wisconsin national guard.

“For far too long in Wisconsin, transgender people have been denied basic protections from discrimination in the workplace, housing, and public spaces,"  said Sarah McBride, Human Rights Campaign national press secretary. "This bill would modernize Wisconsin’s nondiscrimination laws, level the playing field for transgender people and send a powerful message to companies, workers and students across the country that Wisconsin is open for business. It is time to extend full equality to transgender people across Wisconsin and I thank Rep. Spreitzer, Rep. Zamarripa and Sen. Carpenter for their leadership on this vital issue.”

(0) comments

Welcome to the discussion.

Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming anotherperson will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyoneor anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ismthat is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link oneach comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitnessaccounts, the history behind an article.